


Word of the Day

by olivesnook33



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Equalists (Avatar), Harmonic Convergence, Multi, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26905867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivesnook33/pseuds/olivesnook33
Summary: Each day a new word appears on their left arm that relates to an event or major feeling that their soulmate will experience. For Asami Sato, her first word appears when she is one.A look at important words that appear on Asami and Korra's arms set before and during TLOK.
Relationships: Asami Sato & Hiroshi Sato, Asami Sato & Yasuko Sato, Bolin & Korra & Mako & Asami Sato, Bolin & Korra (Avatar), Hiroshi Sato/Yasuko Sato, Katara & Korra (Avatar), Korra & Asami Sato, Korra & Naga, Korra & Senna (Avatar), Korra & Tonraq (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Naga & Asami Sato, Senna/Tonraq (Avatar)
Comments: 138
Kudos: 633
Collections: Korrasami to reread





	1. Birth - Asami (1)

Yasuko Sato put down her book and quickly crossed the room when she heard her daughter begin to stir. Peering into the crib, she could see Asami’s green eyes light up when she caught sight of her mother. As Asami began to coo and reach for her, Yasuko noticed it. A single word. Written on the inside of her daughter’s forearm:  _ BIRTH _ .

Yasuko’s breath caught in her throat. It had finally happened. Asami’s soulmate was going to enter the world today. As she cradled her beautiful baby girl in her arms an overwhelming sense of happiness filled her. Looking into the soft green eyes that perfectly matched her own she thought of how she had been so excited to see what the words on her own arm were going to say each day.

Yasuko remembered the day she woke and her arm simply said  _ meet soulmate _ . Gazing at those two words, she believed she would never be happier. But then she was. One morning, a few years into her marriage to Hiroshi, her arm said  _ reveal _ . 

At first Yasuko couldn’t figure out what it could possibly mean and she gave up trying to figure it out and went about her day. She was scheduled to have a visit from a healer as she hadn’t been feeling well and it was during that visit she was told she was pregnant. Suddenly it was all clear, she would be revealing to Hiroshi that they were going to have a baby and at the thought of that she knew that there would be unbridled joy for the rest of her life.

* * *

In the Southern Water Tribe Tonraq awoke and moved to start the day. After adding wood to the fire he moved to change from his night clothes into his various furs when he noticed the word on his wrist:  _ Mother _ . A slightly crooked smile broke across his face as he looked across the bed at his sleeping, very pregnant wife. 

If today was going to be the day he and Senna officially became parents with the birth of their first child, he would let her get as much rest as possible. As quietly as he could he crept to the kitchen to prepare breakfast in bed for his wife.

Senna woke to the scent of puffin-seal sausages frying and her stomach immediately led her to the kitchen. She tried to wrap her arms around Tonraq from behind but only managed to tickle his sides, her pregnant belly preventing the action that she could comfortably do nine months prior.

“I was trying to let you sleep in.” Tonraq said as he turned to wrap his arms around his wife. “We have a big day today.”

Senna leaned away from her husband to look him in the eyes to try to glean more information but was met with an unreadable gaze. “What do you mean by we have a big day today?” She asked, leaning up to kiss him.

Tarloq smirked as Senna’s lips met his and, without breaking the kiss, he gently grasped his wife’s left wrist and rolled up the sleeve of her night gown. When she felt what he was doing, Senna looked down and saw:  _ Father _ .

* * *

Yasuko was rocking Asami to sleep when the gentle music of the radio was interrupted by an urgent news bulletin. The voice of Shiro Shinobi was not full of it’s usual gusto.

_ “Breaking News: It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Avatar Aang. Avatar Aang died this evening surrounded by his loved ones at his home on Air Temple Island. Having stopped the 100 Year War and, with Fire Lord Zuko established the United Republic, we owe our thanks to him as a nation and as the people he served.” _

While Yasuko was deeply saddened by this news it made her think. Statistically, the odds of Asami’s soulmate being the new Avatar were slim. It would mean that whoever it was would have had to be born at the precise moment of Avatar Aang’s passing but it could happen. She gave Asami a gentle kiss on her forehead and placed her in the crib. Time would tell who Asami’s soulmate was and she would enjoy getting to go on the journey of discovery with her daughter.

  
  



	2. Test - Asami (5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yasuko notices and documents what she thinks are the important words that appear on Asami's arm between the ages of 4 and 5.
> 
> Korra learns that she is a bender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have had this ready for you guys yesterday but then I started to watch The Haunting of Bly Manor and didn't move for 10 hours.

Senna let out a deep sigh as she settled in bed next to her husband. She sat propped against the headboard, deep in thought as her husband finished reading the notice sent to the Northern and Southern Water Tribes by the Order of the White Lotus.

“They still haven’t located the new Avatar and people keep claiming their child is the one but no one has been proven yet.”

Senna continued to think. _Korra was born the day of Avatar Aang’s death._ The thought had been plaguing her for the three short years of her daughter’s life. Senna was terrified that it would come true. She would be proud if Korra was the Avatar but it didn’t turn off her maternal fears about the danger and hardship her baby girl would have to face.

Tonraq turned to face his wife and noticed the far-off look in her eyes. He took her hand in his, “We don’t even know if she can bend yet.”

Senna let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “I know,” she replied as she slid down into the bed and closed her eyes. She heard Tonraq turn off the lamp and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

As Asami grew, Yasuko enjoyed every moment spent with her precious daughter. She especially enjoyed getting to see what word appeared on her tiny arm each morning. Most days it was something mundane like a _family visit_ but other days something interesting would pop up. 

On those interesting days, Yasuko would pull out the journal she had decided to keep for Asami and write down the word and date. She had decided to do this shortly after the first word appeared on Asami’s arm. Looking back on her own life, Yasuko wished she had kept a record of what she thought were important words and the dates they appeared. Yasuko would have loved to have the opportunity to ask Hiroshi, what happened on the various occasions but she could only remember so many.

So, to give her daughter the opportunity she wished she had, she began the journal. The first entry being _BIRTH_ on the day Asami’s soulmate was born in 153 AG. The next entry was just after the new year in 156 AG. _Bending_ had appeared and it had struck Yasuko as such a surprise that she gasped when she saw the word. _Her soulmate is only three years old and they are bending already?_ Yasuko thought to herself.

Asami heard her mother’s gasp and looked at her to see a wide-eyed expression across the face that always brought her comfort.

“Mamma, what’s wrong?” Asami asked, looking at her with surprise in her eyes.

Yasuko scooped Asami up and held her close. “You know how there are different letters on your arm everyday?”

She felt Asami nod her head against her chest.

“Well, today, the letters say bending.”

She looked down to see Aasmi with wide eyes, her mouth in the shape of a tiny “o.” Yasuko gave her daughter a moment to think, knowing that she would say something when she was ready.

“So that means my person is gonna be a bender?” Asami asked, searching her mother’s eyes.

Yasuko smiled and kissed Asami’s cheek. “Yes, my love.” She replied as she set Asami back on her feet. 

“I wonder which element it will be.” Asami said, her face growing serious.

Yasuko could see the gears of her daughter’s mind moving into overdrive and while she usually let it run its course, she knew that this was one instance in which she should guide Asami’s thought process.

“One day, sweetie, you’ll meet them and find out and it won’t matter which element it is.”

Asami nodded at this and Yasuko saw her daughter accept that she would have to wait. She knew that patience was going to be something her daughter would have to master and could tell that it would be difficult but, as always, she would be there to guide her daughter every step of the way.

* * *

“Mommy!” Korra yelled as she ran into the kitchen.

“Yes, Korra?” Senna said as she continued to stir the stew she was preparing for dinner.

“Look what I can do!” 

When Senna turned she saw her daughter tentatively moving her arms and saw the dish water in the sink form a wobbly bubble and glide through the air toward Korra. The look of sheer determination on Korra’s face made Senna’s heart soar. Her daughter, like herself and her husband, is a waterbender. 

Senna abandoned the stove and swooped down to pick up Korra who’s tentative hold on the wobbly bubble immediately dissipated when she was in her mother’s arms causing the two of them to get soaked.

“Sorry, mommy,” Korra said as she cuddled closer into the crook of Senna’s neck.

“You don’t need to be sorry, honey, mommy distracted you,” Senna replied, “I’m so proud of you. Did you figure out how to do that all by yourself?”

She set Korra down and began to bend the water from their clothes and into the sink.

“I practiced what you and daddy do when you want to bend.”

Senna leaned down and planted a kiss on the crown of Korra’s head. “Well, you did a very good job. Why don’t you go show daddy?”

A tiny, crooked grin, just like her husband's, broke across Korra’s face as she nodded enthusiastically and ran from the kitchen to find her father. She could hear her calling out to Tonraq.

* * *

The next two entries Yasuko made were also during 153 AG. After _bending_ appeared, the words had returned to the mundane daily events and feelings a three year old would encounter but _bending_ had appeared twice more. The second and third instances occurred in rapid succession, about two weeks apart. 

Yasuko had felt compelled to document them because she thought it was unusual that _bending_ would be a big enough event to appear more than once. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever having a repeat event appear on her arm. Feelings, yes, but events, only once.

* * *

Katara enjoyed the time she got to spend training the new waterbenders of her homeland. After the death of her husband, she channeled the love she held for him into loving and teaching the children who came to learn from her. The revered Master Katara.

There was one particular child, who had come to her for training at just three years old and the energy of hundreds, that pulled at her heart more than the others. Korra, small but fierce, had been training with her since the beginning of the year. She was four years old now, and her instinctively aggressive style of bending caused the other children to keep their distance.

After a few months, Katara, and Korra’s parents, decided that it might be best for Korra to be trained one-on-one. It was during one of these many one-on-one sessions with the ever present Senna sitting off to the side, drinking tea and making conversation with Tonraq that it happened. 

Katara was teaching Korra how to stop a stream of water that was headed toward her and had decided that she would show Korra the technique she had used when fighting Hama many years ago.

Katara showed Korra the correct earthbending stance and demonstrated the movement she had used to stop the water as it was hurled at her. A move that had shocked her opponent and was useful when one needed to be the aggressor in the fight, rather than following the usual push and pull. 

After Korra had practiced the form for a few minutes, Katara decided it was time to put it into practice. With gentle movements she sent some water toward Korra. The water didn’t stop. Instead the ground rose up to meet it; the water’s path to Korra blocked, it hit the rock and pooled on the ground.

Senna had dropped her tea cup the moment it happened and Tonraq stared at the small wall in shock. Seeing that Korra’s parents weren’t moving, Katara made her way toward the rock and peeked around it and saw that Korra was in awe of what had just happened. 

“Korra, do you know what just happened?”

Korra looked at the ground. The obvious answer in front of her but she was unsure if she had actually done that. “Did I earthbend?” She asked, her tiny voice barely audible.

“I think you did,” Katara answered carefully. “Do you know what that means?”

Korra shook her head no. 

By this time her parents had reached her, Senna kneeling and pulling Korra into a tight embrace. After a moment Senna leaned back and cupped her daughter’s face with her hands and looking into Korra’s fierce blue eyes, she knew. 

“Korra,” she said gently, “it means you are the Avatar.”

“I’m the Avatar?” she asked with a smile and slipped from her mother’s grasp.

Korra began running and jumping around the training area shouting “I’M THE AVATAR!” Over and over while Tonraq and Senna looked at Katara.

Tonraq finally broke the silence. “Katara, did you know?”

A small smile played on the master’s lips, “I had my suspicions but I really didn’t expect _that_ to happen.” She said pointing at the rock. “You will need to invite the White Lotus to prove she is the Avatar.”

* * *

The fifth entry in the journal, occurring just after the new year of 157 AG, added to her suspicions about who her daughter’s soulmate might be. Shortly before Asami’s sixth birthday, Yasuko took Asami to a dress shop to buy her a new dress for the party they were planning. It was a brisk day and Asami, having always had low tolerance to the cold, was wearing a jacket and long sleeve shirt that she had picked out herself.

Yasuko, with input from Asami, selected a few dresses to be tried on and as she was helping Asami into the first dress she saw the word _test._ She pushed down all of the thoughts that arose and focused on helping Asami choose a dress.

When they got home after their shopping trip, Asami went to find Hiroshi to see if she could help him with whatever project he was working on. Yasuko made her way to the bedroom she shared with her husband and slipped the journal she was keeping for Asami out of the drawer of her nightstand.

Her hand hovered over the page, thinking about the word she was going to write. _Test._ _What kind of test would a four year old have to take?_

The thought that had implanted itself in Yasuko’s mind the day the first word, _BIRTH_ , had appeared on Asami’s arm came back into her mind. As she wrote the date and the word in the journal, the thought she had been suppressing was also added to the page. Two words. Short and sweet, followed by a question mark. **_The Avatar?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut to "I'M THE AVATAR, YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT."
> 
> Korra's turn in the next chapter.


	3. Death - Korra (5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senna is shocked by the word that appears on Korra's arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will go ahead and apologize now. I'm sorry.

Yasuko sat on the blanket she had laid out for the picnic she was having with Asami in Harmony Park. The temperature was perfect and their favorite spot of shade had been available when they arrived. A perfect day.

She looked toward the pond and saw Asami tentatively throwing fistfuls of rice for the turtle ducks to eat. She could hear her daughter’s laughter as a baby turtle duck waddled up to her and ate some rice from her small palm.

“Mamma! Did you see that? It ate the rice out of my hand!”

“I did, you’re very brave sweetie. I would be too scared to try that.”

“They’re more scared of us than we are of them, mamma.”

Yasuko pulled her daughter into her lap. “How’d my baby girl get so wise?”

Asami shrugged her shoulders and snuggled closer to her mother. “This has been the best day.”

Yasuko was glad to hear that. Ever since Asami had started school last year she had been having a hard time. Asami was having trouble making friends since her interests didn’t align with her fellow six year olds. Asami wants to take things apart to find out how the tick, other kids want to slide down slides.

“I think I know what would make this day even better.”

“Ice cream?”

“Yes.”

Asami let out a squeal of delight and extricated herself from Yasuko’s lap. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for her mother to stand and gather the blanket and basket. When Yasuko had finished and double-checked to make sure they weren’t leaving anything behind she extended her free hand to Asami who gleefully took it.

As they walked through the park Asami asked her mother, “Can we do this every Saturday?”

Yasuko looked into her daughter’s shining emerald eyes.  _ How can I say no. This is the happiest she’s been in weeks. _

“Of course. Maybe next week daddy can come too.”

* * *

Senna watched from the kitchen window as Korra jumped and splashed around the mud puddles in the backyard. What had started out as a bending lesson with Master Katara just after noon had quickly turned into Korra playing and Katara sipping tea at the table in the kitchen. Katara had long since left but Korra was still occupied by the mud.

It was getting late and the temperature would soon drop so Senna headed toward the back door to try to corral her daughter.  _ Where does she get all of this energy from?  _ She thought to herself as she leaned against the doorframe.  _ She can play for a few more minutes. _

“Korra, time to come in.” Senna called as Korra smashed her feet into a puddle and sent mud flying into her face. Senna couldn’t help but chuckle.  _ Good thing it’s bath night.  _ Senna quickly grabbed a towel reserved for occasions such as this out of the nearby closet.

Korra made her own way to the house; the path she chose had her stomp through every puddle she could see. When she reached her mother, the only visible part of Korra was her eyes. 

“Did you have fun, honey?”

“YES!” Korra said while stamping her feet causing mud to fly in all directions.

Senna quickly scooped Korra up in the towel and headed for the bathtub. She placed Korra in the tub and began to rinse her daughter, clothes and all to get the outer layer of caked on mud off. When she was certain the bathwater wouldn’t automatically turn brown she took Korra out of the tub, instructed her to put her dirty clothes in the sink and began to fill the tub with fresh water.

“Can I have bubbles? Pleeeeeeeaaaaasssseeee.” Korra said. Blue eyes as deep as the ocean peered into Senna’s and Korra’s lip was poking out just the right amount to make her mother’s heart melt. 

As she picked up the bubble bath and poured some in Korra clapped, “Thank you, mommy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Senna held out her hand to steady Korra as she climbed into the tub and absentmindedly glanced at the word on Korra’s forearm. She didn’t usually pay too much attention to them, the words had been appearing since the day Korra was born and reflected the life of a typical child around her daughter’s age. 

_ That can’t be right. Probably just a bit of mud in the way. _ She refocused her attention on her daughter’s arm.

_ Death.  _ Senna shook her head trying to stave off the thoughts that began flying through her mind.

“Korra, you can play for a little while if you want.” Senna said as she quickly rose from kneeling by the tub. 

“Really?!?”

“Yes, really. Ten minutes then you have to let me wash your hair.”

_ DEATH.  _ She left the bathroom before Korra could respond. She plopped down onto the couch, thankful that Korra was just learning to read and hadn’t deciphered the word on her arm yet. 

_ How do I explain to my daughter what it means when the words stop appearing? It’s not fair that she will never get to meet her other half. She already has to live her life for the benefit of the world. Why can’t she have one thing for herself? _

Senna let out a sigh and stood up. She made her way back to the bathroom and poked her head around the doorframe so Korra wouldn’t notice her. Korra was trying to bend the bubbles but hadn’t quite mastered manipulating something that contained so little water yet.  _ She’s too innocent to have the one thing we’re all supposed to be guaranteed taken from her. _

Korra heard a sniffle and turned to look at the doorway.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” 

“I was just thinking about how I love you so much and one day you’re going to grow up and go out to protect the world and I’m going to miss you so much.” Senna lied and crossed the room to the tub.  _ I never lie to her. _

“Don’t worry, mommy, I’ll always come back home.”

Senna cleared her throat. “Ready to get that hair clean?”

Korra groaned but didn’t pull away when Senna’s hands met her scalp.

* * *

The last of the evening light was giving way to the light of the full moon. After her trip to the park and ice cream shop with Asami, Yasuko had made her way to her studio to capture the memory of her daughter feeding the tiny turtle duck from her hand. Her sketch was nearly ready for color to be added when she noticed the time.  _ Bedtime.  _

Yasuko wandered through the house, out the back door and into the large workshop that took up most of the backyard. She could hear Hiroshi tightening something with a socket wrench and saw Asami sitting on the worktop next to the tool box awaiting her next set of instructions. 

“Bedtime for tiny engineers has arrived.” 

Asami pouted. “10 more minutes?”

“Asami. It’s a school night, your mamma’s right. Time for the most brilliant engineer of the family to go to bed.”

“But I want to keep helping.” Asami protested as she was lifted off the bench by Hiroshi. He spun her around and placed a kiss on her cheek before passing her to his wife.

“You have helped plenty for today, sweetheart. Goodnight.”

Yasuko leaned over to kiss Hiroshi goodnight, knowing she would be asleep by the time he came to bed and carried Asami into the house. She helped Asami get ready for bed, brushing her hair and helping her select an outfit for school the next morning. When Asami had double-checked that everything was done she climbed into bed.

Yasuko turned off the bathroom light and looked over at her daughter settling herself. She had selected the polar bear dog as her stuffed animal for the night, for the 14th night in a row.

“You pick that one almost every night.” Yasuko said as she sat on the edge of the bed next to Asami.

“It’s my favorite. I'm going to travel to the south to see a real one someday.” 

_ Always so sure. _ Yasuko smiled, “I’m sure you will,” she said as she tucked the covers snugly around her daughter. 

Yasuko planted a kiss on Asami’s forehead as Asami wrapped her arms around her mother pulling her close. 

“I love you, mamma.”

“I love you too. Goodnight, Asami. Sweet dreams.”

“Night, mamma.” Asami said, her eyes sliding closed. 

Yasuko sat on the edge of the bed a moment longer gazing at her daughter.  _ How did I get so lucky? _ She thought to herself.

* * *

Senna woke the next morning with a pit in her stomach. She had been so worried about  _ that word _ on Korra’s arm she couldn’t even bring herself to talk to Tonraq about it.  _ What do I say to either of them? _

She had seen the words vanish from people’s arms when their soulmate’s time on earth had concluded but that was usually later in life; at a minimum after they had met their soulmate. Senna sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought when she heard tiny feet padding toward her. 

Korra entered her parent’s bedroom rubbing one eye with a stuffed tiger seal under her other arm. She made her way to her mother and climbed into her lap.

“Good morning, honey.” Senna whispered into Korra’s ear. 

Korra gave a small grunt in response. 

“Did you sleep well?”

Korra turned so that her face became buried in the crook of Senna’s neck. Senna smiled.  _ How did I get so lucky?  _ She felt Korra’s breathing slow and knew she had fallen asleep. Carefully, she adjusted herself so she was leaning against the headboard and began rubbing Korra’s arm absentmindedly. After a while she looked down at her sleeping daughter and noticed the new word on her arm.

Relief flooded Senna’s body. A new word she couldn’t quite make out.  _ But that means… _ She didn’t want to think about it but couldn’t help herself.  _ A child so close to death the event presented itself on a soulmate’s arm.  _ Korra moved slightly in her sleep making the word clear for Senna to see  _ grief _ . 

Senna felt tears spring to her eyes.  _ A child grieving. A parent? An aunt or uncle? Did they witness it?  _

* * *

Asami stared at the ground. Her shiny black shoes were too tight. Her tights had a run on the knee from when her toe got caught as she tried to put them on and her black dress was a size too small. The temple was stuffy and someone was loudly sobbing toward the back of the large room. 

She stood dutifully next to her father as he received condolences from person after person. Occasionally, the people speaking to her father would notice her and give her a pitying look and tell her she was “so brave and strong.” Asami didn’t want or need their words. She wanted her mamma to tuck her in at night and hold her close to get rid of the sadness she thought would never leave. 

The parade of people finally over, Asami found herself in the back of a Satomobile on the way to the crypt where her mother would be laid to rest. She understood what it meant when someone died but she didn’t understand why it had to be her mamma. As she watched them close the tomb, she began to cry. Hiroshi scooped her up and held her close as he wept. A family shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY.


	4. Loneliness - Asami (7)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami is worried about the recurring word that appears on her arm.

Korra wandered around the compound she had called home for about a year.  _ This will never be home _ . She thought to herself and felt the presence of someone following her. She peeked behind her to see a White Lotus Guard hot on her tail. Korra picked up her pace. The guard picked up his pace.

Korra raced down the hallway and around a corner, sliding into a closet and shutting the door before the guard caught sight of her again. She held her breath as the footsteps of the guard passed her and waited a moment before slowly creeping out of the closet and to the nearest exit.

When she emerged from the house that loomed over the rest of the compound, Korra was greeted by the familiar sight of tall walls of ice and watchtowers containing White Lotus sentries. Korra stayed in the shadows as she made her way to Naga’s pen. Naga saw Korra coming and let out a loud bark. 

“Shhhhh...Naga! You’re gonna make me get caught.”

Naga quieted and stood ready to catch Korra as she climbed up and over the door of the pen. 

“I brought you some fish jerky, girl.” Korra said as she dug in her pocket to find Naga’s favorite treat. Naga gently took the jerky from Korra’s hand before curling up against the back wall of the pen. Korra walked over and sat down so she could lean against Naga.

“Today, Master Katara said I would be able to spar some of the older kids from the city soon. I’m excited. Oh and I also learned about how Avatar Kyoshi used her fans…” 

* * *

Asami frowned at the word on her left forearm; it had been appearing more and more often and she was worried.  _ Loneliness. _ It had first appeared earlier in the year but it was becoming an almost daily occurrence and it worried Asami that whoever was meant for her was feeling this way.

_ Sure, I’ve felt lonely before but whoever this is must truly be alone. _ She thought before returning her attention to the lesson her teacher was presenting about the history of the 100 Year War. Asami sighed, she knew all of this already. She brought out a plain sheet of paper and began to sketch, from memory, the latest Satomobile schematic that hung in her father’s workshop. 

* * *

Korra bowed to the leaders of the White Lotus and Master Katara. She was 10 years old and had just finished her waterbending test and was declared a waterbending master. A moment that should have filled her with immense happiness was cut down by the fact that she had no one to celebrate with. 

She made her way to her bedroom in the compound and began the process of cleaning up to get ready for dinner. As she removed the sleeves that covered her forearms, she noticed the words on her arm:  _ final exam _ . Korra rubbed her hand on the words, wishing her soulmate luck with whatever they were undertaking that day. 

Looking at the time, she noticed that there was still an hour before dinner. Sighing, she slowly made her way to the pens where Naga was waiting patiently to go for her daily run. As Korra placed and secured the saddle on Naga, she began filling the polar bear dog in on her day and the success she had. 

Korra was grateful to have Naga but in the four years she had been at the compound, she had grown a little tired of the one sided conversations with her best friend.  _ At least my parents are coming for a visit before I begin earthbending training next week. _ She thought to herself. Visits from Senna and Tonraq were the only time the compound felt like home.

* * *

Asami usually looked at the word on her arm every morning before school, but this particular morning she was running late and wanted to get some extra studying in for her final exam. Her father had long since given up on the public school system being adequate for his daughter and had turned to private teachers to ensure Asami would be taught everything she would need to know to one day run Future Industries.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Asami sighed and left the breakfast table, picking up her notebook and making some final mental notes as she walked to the room that was once her mother’s studio. In the few years since her mother’s death, Hiroshi had slowly moved most traces of Yasuko to the attic but the room still made Asami feel close to her mother.

The curtains of the room were drawn, blocking out the natural light that Asami loved about the room and her engineering teacher was waiting for her when she arrived.

“You’re late, Ms. Sato.”

Asami mumbled a small apology and closed her notebook as she sat down at her desk, the test already in place. When she was settled, she looked at her teacher who nodded and indicated that she was to begin the test. 

The test was too easy but she didn’t want to finish  _ too quickly, with little focus _ , as the report from her teacher would say so she began to doodle on the corner of the paper. As she doodled, the word on her forearm caught her eye.  _ Loneliness. _

_ Again. _ Asami had lost track of the last time there was a different word on her arm. Some days she felt like it was the only word that had appeared in the last four years. What was once concern was replaced by acceptance that sometimes people just felt lonely. She had learned for herself that even when she was surrounded by other people she could feel alone.

_ After we meet, whenever we are together, I will make sure you never feel alone. _ She thought to herself and moved her fingers over the word in gentle circles.


	5. Meeting - Korra (13)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra is confused as to the meaning of the word appearing on her arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little expansion on the relationship past relationship between Asami and Keum mentioned in Turf Wars.

Asami was excited. Her father was finally letting her attend a meeting with him and she wanted everything to be perfect. She tucked her black blouse into her skirt and pulled on her maroon sweater.  _ Perfect. _ She thought to herself. 

Moving to the full length mirror just outside her closet, she checked her hair, making sure the gold hair-pin her mother had given her was secure and not a hair was out of place. She gently flipped one half of her hair over her shoulder and headed down the hall to her father’s office.

The door was open, but she knocked on the door frame so she didn’t startle Hiroshi, who was hunched over some papers.  _ No doubt going over the final contracts _ . Asami thought as she tried to remember every step of the process her father was teaching her. 

“Dad, I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

Hiroshi looked up and took in the sight of his daughter. She was fourteen years old now, hardly the little girl he would pick up and set on his hip to explain what different tools were and how they worked. A sense of pride welled in him when he looked at her. His breath caught in his throat and his thoughts drifted to the past.  _ She looks just like Yasuko. _

“Dad? Are you okay? We need to get going or we’re going to be late.”

Hiroshi shook his head and cleared his throat, trying to ease the pain of the memory of his wife. “Yes, I’m fine. I just need a minute to finalize this contract. I’ll meet you at the car.” 

* * *

Korra was tired. Tired of training. Tired of learning about the history of the avatars. Tired of trying to connect to the spiritual side of being the Avatar. After a particularly rough earthbending training session, in which Korra was knocked off the training platform within minutes because of her lack of focus, she headed to see Naga to try and relax. 

As she walked to the pen, she began the slow process of removing the wraps from her arms. She eased the last of the wrap off of her left arm and looked down to see what word was present that day. Korra didn’t usually have the time to look at the words that appeared. She wasn’t a morning person so when she would get ready it was in relative darkness and she quickly placed her wraps on her arms to head to breakfast. Then, by the time she was done with school, and training, and caring for Naga it would be late and she didn’t think to look.

Days like this, where she felt so overwhelmed by her looming duty that even the White Lotus knew she needed a day off were usually the only day she looked. 

_ Meeting. _

Korra frowned.  _ A meeting. Do they have a job? How much older than me are they? _ Korra remembered very few words that appeared on her arm but her parents had told her she had been born with her first word, so the only thing she really knew was that her soulmate was older than her.

_ Well, good luck whoever you are. _ She thought as she rubbed the word absentmindedly.

* * *

For her first meeting, Asami was unimpressed. They had arrived at the offices of Wonyong Keum of Keum Enterprises and were ushered into a conference room. The day before the meeting, Hiroshi had all but assured Asami that this joint venture was a done deal. He hadn’t explained what the venture entailed but Asami trusted that it would be for the betterment of Republic City, as all of her father’s other inventions and plans were.

As they waited beyond the appointed time for the meeting to begin, Wonyong was finalizing his decision regarding the deal. An astute businessman, he had read over Hiroshi’s proposal and looked at and retained a copy of the blueprints for the gas dispersal system. Following careful consideration, he had come to the conclusion that the Equalist movement was not one he wanted to be a part of and he certainly didn’t want to create illegal weapons.

_ Tardiness...not what I would expect in a professional setting. Maybe it’s a powermove? _ Asami thought to herself as she drummed her fingers on the table. Her father kept sitting down and standing up as if he was nervous that something bad was going to happen. Asami finally heard the door of the conference room open behind her and turned to see a young woman hand her father a piece of paper. 

Hiroshi turned red immediately.

“Come, Asami, we are leaving.” 

“But nothing happened. We haven’t even met with Mr. Keum yet or signed the papers or...or...anything!”

“Mr. Keum has decided that he does not want to go into business with me. The financial hit I will take to develop this technology myself will be significant but I can handle this.” Hiroshi said as they left the conference room.

“I don’t understand. How can someone just say no when you are so close to a deal?”

“Greed, Asami, greed.” Hiroshi spat.

Asami’s eyes narrowed.  _ How could someone be so selfish? If I ever have to deal with Wonyong Keum, he will be sorry. _


	6. Escape - Asami (18)

Korra was more focused than she had ever been in her life. She had mastered three elements and Master Tenzin, son of her past life Aang, was on his way to the compound to begin her airbending training. It had taken some convincing by Korra and Master Katara to get the White Lotus to approve of her mastery of firebending but it was decided that what she was lacking in spiritual connection she could make up with Tenzin, “Mr. Spiritual.”

When Tenzin finally arrived, Korra was devastated to learn that he would not be staying and beginning her airbending training as planned; Republic City needed him as a councilman and that was more pressing than training the young Avatar. Korra tried and tried to convince him to stay or take her with him but he refused and she watched despondently as he and his family took to the sky to head back to their home.

* * *

Asami was elbow deep in the engine of the latest Satoracer at Future Industries test track. She was trying to coax the last bit of speed from it but was having limited success. She sighed and lowered the hood back into place and turned to see her father striding towards her. 

“Any luck?” Hiroshi asked.

“Not really. Everything I’ve tried has given it at most 5 mph more. I’ll have to take another look at the schematics to see how I can do better.” She said as she crossed the garage to remove her coveralls.

Hiroshi nodded. “I know you’ll figure it out but it must be ready soon.”

“I’ll do my best, dad.”

“Good,” Hiroshi said as he turned on his heel to leave. 

By the time Asami had finished removing her coveralls, he was gone. Asami hung her head.  _ I’m doing everything I can think of. Everything he ever taught me. It’s his design, why doesn’t he offer any suggestions? _ She let out an exasperated sigh at those thoughts and grabbed a rag to start to remove the oil that covered the length of her forearms.

She gazed at the blueprints of the engine she had sitting on the workbench as she rubbed the oil off her right arm but moved her gaze to her left arm as she started to clear her skin.  _ Escape. _ Asami’s eyebrows shot up.  _ What an unusual word.  _ She was glad that it wasn’t  _ loneliness  _ again but this was slightly alarming.

_ What could my soulmate have to escape from? _ Asami’s mind flashed to different scenarios that ranged from outlandish to what could be considered real danger for someone around her age. She struggled to push the thoughts from her mind.  _ How can I worry for someone I’ve never met? _

* * *

Korra paced the length of her room. Watching Tezin leave to go back to Republic City while she was stuck in the compound not learning to air bend was, in her mind, the worst case scenario. All Korra had ever wanted from life since she found out she was the Avatar was to _be_ _the Avatar._ That was never going to happen if she stayed.

_ I’ll go to Republic City.  _ As soon as the thought entered Korra’s mind, the decision was made.  _ There has to be a boat that is heading in that direction. I’ll take Naga and...and...what?  _ Korra sighed. She tried to push the idea down but it was too late. Korra opened the door of her room as quietly as she could and stuck her head out, looking both ways to see if there were any White Lotus guards nearby. 

She made her way to Naga’s pen and had placed and secured her saddle and double checked to ensure she had enough food and had grabbed what little she wanted to bring with her. After she had assured herself that she had everything she turned to leave when a voice from behind her interrupted her final preparations.

“Nice night for an escape, isn’t it?”

Korra froze then slowly turned around to face Katara.

“I have to leave. I have to find my own path as the Avatar.”

Katara gave her a small nod. “I know you do.” Korra was relieved. 

“Aang’s time has passed. My brother and many of my friends are gone. It's time for you and your generation to take on the responsibility of keeping peace and balance in the world. And I think you’re going to be a great Avatar.” Katara finished and pulled Korra in for a hug. 

“Thank you.”

“Good-bye Korra.”

* * *

Senna was putting away the dishes when she heard a familiar noise come from outside.  _ Naga. _ She thought with a smile. She was glad that Korra had the opportunity to stop by for a visit, even if it was rather late.  _ This is a little unusual. _ She thought to herself.

She called for Tonraq to meet her in the kitchen and they headed outside to greet their daughter. They were surprised to see that she was alone since Korra was never alone. One look at her daughter’s face and Senna knew.  _ She’s leaving. _

Senna ran to Korra as she climbed off of Naga and wrapped her in her arms. Tonraq was close behind and pulled both of his girls close. They let go of each other after a few moments and Korra told them she was going to go to Republic City and ask Tenzin to start her airbending training there.

Tears streamed down Senna’s face but she knew this is what her daughter had to do. She didn’t want to make things harder on Korra so she quickly composed herself and pulled Korra in for another hug.

“Mom, Dad. I’ll miss you.” Korra said.

“We love you so much” Senna replied as she released her daughter and watched her climb on Naga and ride away.


	7. Close Call - Korra (17)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT TWO DAYS IN A ROW

Korra woke with the scream that was leaving her throat. She sat up gasping for breath, her head whipping around her room. Naga quickly padded over and began to lick Korra’s right arm and Korra was glad for the sense of comfort Naga brought to her. Amon had seldom left her mind since she witnessed him taking away the bending of Lightning Bolt Zolt at the Equalist rally she and Mako had snuck into to save Bolin.

Naga placed her head in Korra’s lap and Korra leaned down to place her head perpendicular to Naga’s. Moonlight shone through her open window and she glanced down at her arm and saw two words.  _ Close call. _

She furrowed her eyebrows.  _ Close call...I wonder what that could mean. _ She thought to herself as she laid back down in bed.

* * *

Asami slammed down the hood of the Satoracer in frustration. It had been a few weeks since she had last worked on it but she still had not been able to come up with a solution to coax more speed out of the engine. Her father was expecting her to be done working on it by the end of the month so it could be shown to investors and racers alike.

She quickly removed her coveralls and replaced them with her black Future Industries Jacket and grabbed her helmet. A ride through the city was just what she needed to clear her head and figure this engine out. She climbed onto her moped and took off toward the Sato Estate. 

As she made her way through the streets of her hometown, she let her mind wander away from the stress of the project she was undertaking and to the present problems Republic City was facing. The Equalist movement was gaining momentum with each passing day and, while Asami was a non-bender, she didn’t understand the need to completely take away the bending abilities of others. 

Asami’s thoughts were swiftly brought back to the present when she registered the movement of a man running out from behind a truck in an effort to catch the streetcar before it pulled away. She did her best to slow her momentum, whipping the moped around and into a skid but she knew she wouldn’t stop in time.

* * *

Korra was surprised when she saw Councilman Tarrlock appear in the doorway and forced himself into a dinner invitation at Air Temple Island. She was even more surprised when he mentioned that he wanted Korra to join his taskforce.

Taken aback, Korra thought about it for a few moments before deciding.  _ Between Pro-Bending and tracking down Bolin I haven’t had much time for airbending training or connecting with the spiritual side of being the Avatar.  _

“I can’t.” Korra finally replied.

Tarrlock and Tenzin both looked stunned by Korra’s response. Korra knew she was usually the type of person to face things head on but she felt that now was not the time to do that.

“I...must admit, I’m rather surprised. I-I thought you’d jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon.” Tarrlock said.

“Me too.” added Tenzin.

“I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin. Right now I just need to focus on that.”

Tarrlock continued with more protestation that this would be the best way for Korra to continue her training. “On-the-job,” was the phrase he used. After that Tenzin swiftly dismissed him.

* * *

Asami waited in her usual booth at Kwong’s Cuisine for Mako to arrive. She had felt so bad for hitting him the day before that her instinct to make it up to him had led to her asking him on a date. But now she felt hesitant. It wasn’t that Asami didn’t want to date, she did, but she also didn’t really see the point of dating someone who wasn’t her soulmate. 

Mako was escorted to the table and he slid into the booth but kept a respectful distance from Asami. She felt at ease, she really did want to get to know Mako but she didn’t want to lead him on so she led the conversation into what she thought would be safe territory.

She told Mako about how she had seen all of the Fire Ferrets’ matches that season and Mako, while surprised, was also a bit embarrassed by a few of them. When Asami told him she was looking forward to seeing them in action in the tournament but Mako told her they couldn’t make it since they didn’t have the money for the championship pot.  _ I could easily get them the money. _ She thought to herself but before she could speak they were interrupted by the waiter delivering their main course. 

“Pardon me, Miss Sato. Your main course.”

“Miss Sato? You wouldn’t happen to be related to Hiroshi Sato, creator of the Sato-Mobile?”

“Yeah, he’s my dad.”

“Get out of town.”

“I’m serious. You want to meet him?”

“Meet the most successful captain of industry in all of Republic city? Yeah, I’ll take you up on that.”

Asami chuckled and they tucked into their meal. As the night drew to a close Asami knew she needed to clarify some things with Mako.

“Mako. I’ve had a really nice time tonight.”

“Me too, Asami. But I sense you have more to say on the matter.”

She sighed and looked down into her teacup. “Yes. I think it would be best if we were just friends.”

Mako looked slightly dejected as he took this in. 

“I would still love for you to meet my dad. I think he would be willing to sponsor the Fire Ferrets for the tournament.”

“That’d be great,” Mako replied. 

They were quiet for a moment before Mako cleared his throat. “Can I ask why you think it would be best if we were just friends.”

“I don’t really date. To be honest, you’re only the third person I’ve ever been out on a date with. I just...don’t see the point in dating when I know the person I’m meant to be with is out there somewhere.”

“I get that. Thanks for your honesty, Asami.”

“Thank you for understanding Mako. The last person I went on a date with was not nearly as polite.”


	8. Meet Soulmate - Korra/Asami (17/18)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am proclaiming Halloween miracles a thing. I finished all my grading and this chapter today. Imma eat a Reeses and cry while watching Bly Manor for the third time as a reward.

When Asami rose for the day she was giddy with excitement. She and her father had been invited to the Gala Councilman Tarrlok was throwing in honor of Avatar Korra. Asami usually hated functions of this sort, they were usually filled with men her father’s age who dismissed her as nothing more than “daddy’s little girl,” and nothing irked her more than that assumption.

The prospect of meeting the Avatar, especially after spending time with Mako and getting to know about her through him, was what was driving Asami’s excitement. It would be much more exciting and interesting to attend an event that had people her age, even if there were only a few of them.

As she began to apply her makeup she caught sight of the words on her arm in the mirror. The mascara wand fell out of her hand and to the floor and she sat frozen. After a moment she blinked and looked again. It was backward but she could still read it clear as day. _Meet soulmate._

Asami’s mind began to race. _Today. Of all days. A day when I’m going to potentially meet a hundred new people making rounds at a fancy party. Of course._

She sat and stared at her reflection and felt the excitement the Gala had held for her slipping away but then she felt the ghost of a memory tug at the back of her mind. 

_Asami was four when she asked her mother what the letters on her arm meant. Yasuko smiled down at her daughter, ever grateful that she had a curious nature. “Well, sweetie, everyday new letters appear that spell a different word.”_

_“Why?”_

_Yasuko let out a small chuckle. Ever since her daughter had learned that word, she heard it about 100 times a day and she was sure she would never tire of it. She leaned down and scooped her daughter up and walked to the rocking chair by the windows in her studio._

_“Everyone has them. Everyday they tell us a little bit about our soulmates. See I have one too.”_

_Yasuko held out her arm for Asami to see. Asami gently touched her mother’s arm. Yasuko could see that Asami was considering this new information because she had the same frown her husband had when he was thinking things through._

_“What’s a soulmate?”_

_Yasuko paused. She wanted to be sure to answer Asami’s question fully but also in a way she would understand._

_“A soulmate is the person who is the best match for you. You know how you put together your puzzle and the pieces only fit in special spots?”_

_“Uh-huh.” Asami nodded, eyes wide._

_“Well, they are the piece that fits in a special spot in your heart. They will be a person who loves you more than anyone ever has or will.”_

_“Who’s your soulmate, mamma?”_

_“Daddy is my soulmate.”_

_“How did you know?”_

_“How did I know what, sweetie?”_

_“That daddy was your person?”_

_“One morning, I woke up and saw that my arm said_ **_meet soulmate_ ** _.”_

_“Your arm told you when it was gonna happen?” she asked, disbelief written across her face. Yasuko couldn’t help but laugh at her little girl’s skepticism._

_“Yes, now let me finish silly girl. I knew that I would meet my person that day but I didn’t know who it would be. I had an art show that night...”_

Asami was drawn out of her memory when her father cleared his throat from the doorway of her room. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and leaned down to pluck her mascara wand from the floor.

“Are you alright, Asami?” Hiroshi asked awkwardly.

“Yes. I was just...thinking about mom,” she replied without turning around to face him. Asami saw her father flinch at the word _mom_ in the mirror. 

“Oh, well...the car will be here this evening at 7:00 to pick you up for the Gala. I have some business to attend to but I’ll meet you there.”

Asami turned in her chair to face her father, she wanted to ask him about the memory but all she caught was a glimpse of him before he was gone.

* * *

As Korra entered the Gala, she was greeted with applause. She was in awe but Tenzin had warned her to keep her guard up. _Surely Tarrlock wouldn’t be plotting something during the Gala._ As soon as the thought entered her mind, Tarrlock whisked her away from Tenzin to meet several of Republic City’s major players.

 _This is more boring than I thought this would be._ Korra thought to herself as she was paraded from one old man to the next. She politely shook hands and made small talk but the lack of people her age and the few she had managed to meet didn’t strike her as overly interesting.

Tarrlock eventually led Korra to a distinguished looking man with streaks of gray in his hair and round glasses.

“Korra, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City’s most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato.”

Korra gave a slight bow as she said, “Nice to meet you.”

Mr. Sato returned the bow.

“We’re all expecting great things from you.” he said with a smile.

“Right. Greatness.” she replied as her face fell. Ever since she had saved Bolin from Amon the weight of her duties as the Avatar had been looming far larger than she had ever imagined they would. 

“Hey, Korra,” said a familiar voice that pulled her from her thoughts. 

When she looked to where Mako’s voice emanated from, she saw an unfamiliar woman on his arm. Her frown instantly deepened by the pang of jealousy she was feeling. 

Hiroshi introduced the woman, “This is my daughter, Asami.”

“It’s lovely to meet you. Mako told me so much about you.” Asami said as she looked at her with kind green eyes but Korra was too far in the pits of jealousy to return the kind look.

“Really? Because he hasn’t mentioned you at all. How did you two meet?” she spat.

The rest of the conversation went downhill from there. Korra knew that Mako wasn’t her soulmate, she'd met him weeks ago and the magic words had yet yo appear on her arm, but she couldn’t help the fact that her heart was having a hard time getting the memo. Her crush on Mako and the friendship she was trying to forge with him didn’t allow her to even consider that the woman on his arm could be his soulmate. _I thought we were good enough friends that he would tell me something like that._

* * *

Asami was nervous. She had been at the Sato Estate all day and hadn’t run into any new people so she knew that she would meet her soulmate at the Gala. She couldn’t remember how her mother had known her father was her soulmate and her father had left so quickly this morning that she hadn’t had the chance to ask. She had desperately tried to get the memory back but she couldn’t. _I’m on my own, I guess._

When she entered the Gala, she took note of the familiar faces that surrounded her but noticed there were significantly more people she didn’t know than were usually at this type of event. _I suppose I can chalk that up to the presence of the Avatar._ Asami moved through the party with an ease that only came from experience, stopping to chat with people she was familiar with and being introduced to those she wasn’t.

She was trying, really trying, to keep track of everyone she met but it was proving to be an impossible task. _This would be so much easier if everyone wasn’t wearing sleeves._ She thought to herself. She knew that her soulmate would have the same two words on their arm and had been hopeful that would be an easy way to spot them. _Or...you could stumble upon someone else who’s also supposed to meet their soulmate._

Asami resigned herself to hoping she would feel something...anything upon sight when she met her soulmate. She decided to make her way to one of the chairs at the side of the room to try to come up with a new approach to figuring out who her soulmate was but bumped into a tall man causing his drink to spill on the floor.

“Spirits, I’m so sorry. I was distracted and I didn’t see you -”

“Asami, I’m beginning to think you enjoy running me over.”

Asami finally looked at the face of the man and she felt the tips of her ears warm from her embarrassment. 

“I can’t believe I did it again.” She groaned.

Mako looked her over and worry began to creep into his features. 

“Hey. It’s okay. No harm done. Are you okay? You seem...out of it.”

Asami sighed and nodded.

“I've just...got a lot on my mind.”

“Well, I could take you to meet Korra. That could be a good distraction from whatever is bothering you.” He said as he held out his arm. 

Asami gave him a small smile and slipped her left arm into his and walked with him to where a crowd had gathered in a sort of semicircle. She caught her first glimpse of the Avatar who was being introduced to her father. As she and Mako approached, she watched the Avatar’s expression go from one of neutrality to crestfallen. Whatever her father had said to the Avatar had struck a nerve of some kind.

“Hey Korra.” Mako said as they finished their approach. 

Blue eyes swiftly darted from her father’s face and settled on Mako and Asami; quickly zeroing in on their linked arms. 

Hiroshi turned and glanced at Asami before saying, “This is my daughter Asami.” 

Asami gave the Avatar a smile. “It’s lovely to meet you. Mako told me so much about you.”

“Really? Because he hasn’t mentioned you at all. How did you two meet?” Korra spat. 

Asami was thankful that Bolin chose that exact moment to make his presence known. He didn’t quite smooth things over but Asami no longer felt like a captive under the glare of the Avatar. _For the bridge between two worlds she’s not overly friendly. What did I do to upset her this much already?_

* * *

Korra flicked on the lightswitch of the bathroom with frustration. She had let herself be baited into joining Tarrlok’s task force because of a few journalists who had clearly been briefed on what to say to provoke Korra’s agreement. It was a blur but she knew she had just committed to losing more time that should be spent on learning to airbend. 

She crossed to the sink and turned on the water, splashing some on her face in an effort to calm herself. _This isn’t helping._ She thought as she let out a frustrated sigh. She pulled off the sleeves she had been wearing and tossed them to the side before grabbing hold of either side of the sink.

As she watched the water circle the drain the words on her left forearm caught her eye. _Meet soulmate._

_No. No, no, no, no...HOW DID I MISS THIS?_

Korra ran to find the nearest phone. 

Senna bolted upright at the first ring of the phone. The shrill sound sent chills down her spine especially because of the late hour but also because she had heard about the brewing revolution happening in Republic City and she worried something might have happened to Korra. She quickly made her way to the living room and picked up the phone.

“Hello this is Senna, is Korra okay?”

 _“Mom?”_

Senna was relieved to hear her daughter’s voice but immediately became worried because of the tone. _She sounds so small._

“Korra, honey, are you okay?”

 _“I-I..I missed it…”_

She heard Korra start to cry and her heart broke a little.

“What did you miss?”

“ _It...it was supposed to be today…”_

Senna listened as Korra cried harder. She wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and rock her like she had when she was little. 

“Honey, take some deep breaths for me. Can you do that?”

She heard Korra inhale deeply and slowly exhale a few times. Once she was sure her daughter had calmed down a little, she pressed on.

“What was supposed to happen today?”

 _“I didn’t notice ‘til now but…”_ Korra had to pause to take another round of breaths and Senna waited patiently, willing her daughter to feel the love she was trying to send through the phone. 

_“It says_ **_meet soulmate_ ** _. What do I do? I-I didn’t...I don’t...I MISSED IT and now I’ll never find them.”_

The heartbreak in her daughter’s voice brought tears to her eyes but she knew she needed to be strong for her. She waited for Korra to calm down again before speaking.

“Did I ever tell you how your dad and I met?”

Senna was met with silence.

“Your dad had recently arrived from the North and I was working the counter at the bakery in Harbor City. Much like you I never really paid attention to the words on my arm, neither did your father, so both of us missed the memo that we were going to meet our soulmate. It wasn’t until he came in everyday for a month that we figured it out when we both had the word _date_ on the same day. Your father had finally worked up the courage to ask me on a date and we went from there.”

 _“Really? I thought it was a big deal and you would...well, actually I don’t know. I thought you would_ **_feel_ ** _different.That you would know instantly.”_

“Some people do but most people don’t even realize it. Time will show you the way.” 

* * *

When Asami got home she was no closer to figuring out who her soulmate was then when her day began. She had met at least 30 new people and not a single one had left any sort of impression. _Well, one left a pretty clear impression but it’s obviously not her._ Her mind was going a million miles an hour and she wished her mother was there to talk to. _She always knew just what to say._

Asami went through her nightly routine, slowly removing every stitch of makeup and brushing out her hair. She climbed into her bed and hoped sleep would come and quiet her mind. It never came. Asami tossed and turned but eventually she got out of bed and headed down the hall to her office.

The office used to be her classroom, which used to be her mother’s studio. There were very few remnants left of the time her mother had spent in the room save for a few paintings and the rocking chair she refused to allow her father to move. She grabbed a book from the shelf behind her desk and crossed the room to the chair. _If I can’t talk to her, I can be as close to her as I can be._

She began to read and didn’t feel her eyes starting to droop. Before she knew what had happened she was immersed in the most vivid dream she had ever had.

_Asami watched her mother scoop up what was clearly a smaller version of herself and settle in the rocking chair of the studio. Her mother’s voice slowly drifted toward her and she watched in awe._

_“Everyone has them. Everyday they tell us a little bit about our soulmates. See I have one too.” Yasuko said._

_“What’s a soulmate?” tiny Asami asked._

_“A soulmate is the person who is the best match for you. You know how you put together your puzzle and the pieces only fit in special spots?”_

_“Uh-huh.” Asami nodded, eyes wide._

_“Well, they are the piece that fits in a special spot in your heart. They will be a person who loves you more than anyone ever has or will.”_

_“Who’s your soulmate, mamma?”_

_“Daddy is my soulmate.”_

_“How did you know?”_

_“How did I know what, sweetie?”_

_“That daddy was your person?”_

_“One morning, I woke up and saw that my arm said_ **_meet soulmate_ ** _.”_

_“Your arm told you when it was gonna happen?” she asked, disbelief written across her face. Yasuko couldn’t help but laugh at her little girl’s skepticism._

_“Yes, now let me finish silly girl. I knew that I would meet my person that day but I didn’t know who it would be. I had an art show that night and your daddy was there. He admired my art and bought a painting from me. I didn’t see him again for a few months, until my next art show.”_

_“You mean you still didn’t know it was him?”_

_“No. Most of the time it takes time for people to figure it out and that’s okay. When you meet your person, you might not know they’re your soulmate right away but time will show you the way.” Yasuko said as she bent to kiss Asami’s forehead._

Asami woke with a start when the book she had been reading fell out of her hand and slammed onto the floor. The deep sense of comfort the dream had given her flooded back to her and coursed through her veins. _Time will show me the way._ She smiled at the thought. _Time. It’s only a matter of time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I'm happy that I got to bring Yasuko back. I missed her.


	9. Heartbreak - Korra (17)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little S1 Ep7 background action without stupid Mako pretending to be a good boyfriend cause that was some BULL.

Korra was confused. She was doing her best to make friends but she felt like she wasn’t getting anywhere. Mako and Asami had been nothing but nice to her and she had snapped at both of them at the gala. Bolin had asked her to dinner which she read as friends grabbing dinner but he thought it was a date and no matter how easily she tried to let him down he was still wounded. 

She blamed her isolated upbringing for her lack of social aptitude. It was like being dumped on the side of a busy street blindfolded and being told to make her way to the other side.  _ Overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed. The whole Mako and Bolin thing wouldn’t even be an issue if I would just pay attention to the stupid words on my arm.  _ She thought to herself as she made her way to the front doors of the Sato Estate. 

Asami Sato had been very forgiving of Korra’s faux pas at the gala especially after she watched Korra take the bait into joining Tarrlok’s task force. Still, Korra had vehemently apologized to her multiple times. It didn’t make them fast friends, more like mutual acquaintances but it was a start. Korra was glad to have Mako and Bolin. She was also grateful that Asami had been so generous as to take the boys in after the Pro-Bending Arena was shut down because of Amon’s attack. 

Asami had invited Korra to join them for the day at the estate which was how she found herself face to face with a glasses clad man with a nasally voice.

“Avatar Korra, I presume.”

“Uhhh, yep, that’s me. I’m looking for Asami...and Mako and Bolin.”

“Ms. Sato and friends are this way, follow me.”

As Korra followed the butler through what she could only classify as a full blown mansion she wondered what sort of activities Asami had planned for the day.  _ Probably shopping or makeovers. _

She was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong when Asami led them to the Sato Test Track to watch some of the Sato-mobiles get test driven. She was blown away when Asami offered to “take her for a spin” and effortlessly outraced the other car. 

When their time at the track was done, Korra felt like she and Asami had cemented their friendship, she was glad to have her as part of the group and was excited to have an actual friend she could talk to outside of the boys. Mako and Bolin were great but Korra had always wondered what it would be like to have a best friend and she was starting to think that Asami could be hers.

* * *

If Asami Sato knew how to do anything it was how to make an impression. She was worried that Korra wouldn’t show up but was relieved when she did even if she made some snarky remark about the fact that she would probably take them shopping or do makeovers.

_ I see. _ Asami thought to herself.  _ She thinks I’m helpless. _

Racing around the test track with Korra in the back seat might not have been the safest. She didn’t even want to think what Master Tenzin would have said if he saw the speed at which she took a few of the curves but Korra was overjoyed when they were done. 

“That was amazing! I didn’t think we’d make it.” Korra exclaimed when she hopped out of the car. 

Asami smirked as she pulled her hair from under her helmet and jacket and flipped it over her shoulders. 

“Well, you can’t be afraid to mix it up sometimes.” she replied.

“I gotta admit, I had you pegged wrong. I thought you were kinda prissy and then there was the whole thing with Mako and I’m still really sorry about how I acted at the gala. I don’t think I could ever apollo-”

Asami interrupted her with a chuckle. “Korra, it’s all right. People usually assume that I’m daddy’s helpless little girl but I can handle myself. I mean, I’ve been in self-defense classes since I was this high,” she held her arm out to indicate someone the size of a small child. “My dad made sure I would always be able to protect myself.”

As they headed back to the estate from the track, Asami was surprised at just how easy it was to talk to Korra. Once the Avatar’s final preconceived notion was gone, it was like she was officially part of the group. She and Korra fell into step with one another and exchanged a few stories from their childhoods. Nothing too serious and only short tales that lasted the duration of the walk back but it felt nice to have friends that weren’t just there because their parents were trying to make a deal with her dad. These were people she got to choose for herself and she was excited to see where this would lead.

* * *

Somehow Korra had lost the only three friends she had made in her life in under 24 hours. After overhearing Hiroshi Sato on the phone she was sure that he had Equalist ties but Mako, Bolin and Asami were adamant that it couldn’t be true. 

They had searched the Sato Estate and factories but found nothing that would indicate any association with the Equalists. Mako had gone so far as to say that she could consider their friendship, and her friendships with Asami and Bolin, over if she didn’t drop this idea. Alone for a few minutes Korra took the time to freshen up and in doing so removed the sleeve from her left arm to look at the word there. She was trying to be more conscious of it since she had supposedly met her soulmate and was looking for signs everywhere to figure out who it was.

_ Heartbroken. _ Korra stared at the word frowning.  _ Huh...maybe I’m my own soulmate since that’s how I’m feeling today. _

She gently tugged the sleeve back into place before joining Tenzin and Beifong. As they discuss what their next step is going to be they are approached by a man who tells them that the factory they are looking for is actually under the Sato Estate. 

_ Great. The Sato Estate where my soon to be former friends live. _ Korra thought to herself as she boarded the police airship. 

When they arrived, they were greeted by a seething Asami who led them to the workshop out back. Beifong discovered the hidden tunnel under the floor and they were greeted with more than enough evidence in the form of Hiroshi and several Equalists ambushing them. 

Korra, Tenzin, Beifong and the few officers that had accompanied them put up a valiant fight but it wasn’t enough. They were soon overpowered by the new mecha suits Hiroshi had created. Bolin earthbent Mako and himself through the floor but they were quickly caught as they lifted Korra and Tenzin from where they lay.

* * *

If Asami hadn’t seen it for herself, she would have had a harder time accepting it. The man who stood before her was not her father. He was no longer the man who had taught her how to fix things; no longer the man who had picked her up when she fell and gently tucked her in at night. The man in front of her was spewing hatred and threatening the people she was coming to care about even if it had been a rocky start fraught with misunderstandings.

Staring at her father’s outstretched hand, she knew she needed to make a decision. Asami thought about her mother. The kindness she had displayed toward everyone. She remembered that Yasuko was never fearful of those who possessed a bending ability. She closed her eyes and reached to take the Equalist glove. Her mother’s voice echoing in her head.

_ “You know how there are different letters on your arm everyday? Well, today, the letters say bending.” _

The memory made the choice easy but it didn’t lessen the pain of her heart shattering into thousands of pieces. 

“I love you, dad.” She said and thrust the electrified glove into his chest and quickly took down the man standing at his side. 

Leaving the underground factory was a blur but she soon found herself staring out the window of Chief Beifong’s airship with a sense of hopelessness she had never experienced before. Asami felt like her father had died. She thought it would be easier if he actually had died instead of having to live with the knowledge that he was still alive, just not the man she thought she knew.

* * *

Korra, Mako and Bolin stood in a small circle in the police airship mulling over the events of the day. What had started with strained indignance on the part of Mako and Bolin was now apologetic regret. 

“I'm sorry I didn’t believe you, but Asami’s dad being an Equalist is not an easy thing to believe, even now.” Mako said.

Korra sighed, “I know. I”m sorry this whole thing happened.”

“So, does your offer to live at the air temple still stand?”

“Of course it does. And Asami’s welcome too.” Korra replied with the first smile to grace her face all day. She was relieved to be on sure ground with her friends again, even if it was at such a high emotional cost.

Mako rested his hand on her shoulder, “Thank you so much.”

“After everything she’s been through she’s going to need us.” She replied as she crossed to the window of the airship next to Asami. 

Asami didn’t seem to notice that Korra had joined her and Korra didn’t want to push Asami into a conversation she wasn’t ready for but she wanted to try to make sure her new friend was okay. 

“Hey.” Korra said softly. 

Asami turned at the sound of Korra’s voice, red rimmed eyes betraying the strong front she was trying to put forth. 

“Hi.” She replied shakily and rested her forehead on the window in front of her. 

Korra began to shift her weight from foot to foot.  _ This is normally where a friend would offer some form of comfort. _ She thought to herself. 

“Come sit with me?” She asked motioning to the bench in the corner of the room.

Asami nodded and followed Korra to the bench and they sat in an uneasy silence for a moment before Korra broke it.

“You can come stay at the air temple if you want. Mako and Bolin are coming and there’s plenty of room for you too. I would really like it if you came.”

At that Asami started to cry.  _ Oh no...now I’ve really done it. _ Korra did the only thing she could think of, she swiftly moved closer to Asami on the bench and wrapped her arms around her. She melted into Korra and started to cry harder.

“I’m so sorry, Asami. I never meant for any of this to happen.” She said as she started rubbing gentle circles on Asami’s back. They sat like that for a while until Asami’s sobs subsided and she was able to collect herself again.

“You don’t need to apologize, Korra. I know who my mother was and she would not agree with my father’s actions and neither do I but it doesn’t make it hurt less that I’m  _ alone  _ now.”

She dropped her head into her hands and Korra was struck with the full gravity of the decision Asami had made when she pressed the glove into Hiroshi’s chest. Asami had turned her back on her last living family member. Her father, the man who was supposed to protect her, who thought he was protecting her and reclaiming his wife’s memory, had lied to her for years and then presented his daughter with an almost impossible choice. 

“Aasmi, I know it may feel this way right now but...you’re not alone. You’ll always have me and Mako and Bolin. Probably even Tenzin. It’s not the same but we will always be here for you.” 

Asami’s gaze had dropped to the floor as Korra spoke so Korra dropped her head to look into Asami’s eyes. She saw the deep hurt and confusion Hiroshi’s actions left behind and vowed in that moment that she would never let anyone cause that look again. Asami took one of Korra’s hands into her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there's a specific moment you would want to see covered! I have a lot planned already but I'm open to other ideas too! :)


	10. Lost - Asami (18)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little mix of S1 Ep 8, 11, 12.
> 
> Asami reflects on Korra's power and what will happen now that Amon has taken her bending.
> 
> Korra doesn't know who she is without her bending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of suicidal thoughts. Please exercise caution.

Asami was struggling to reconcile the defeated girl sitting on the bench in the corner of the airship with the confident woman who dove off the pier into a sea of mines in an attempt to save the United Forces fleet as it arrived in Republic City. She had watched in awe as Korra jumped and bent the water to meet her and propel her into the fray. She, Mako and Bolin looked on as high-speed planes began to rain bombs down on the ships. Korra displayed none of the fear or uncertainty Asami was suddenly feeling for her friend. She soon realized why that was.

The first explosions were below the water where Korra was initially. At one point Asami was worried that Korra had been underwater for too long and might have been injured by a blast but suddenly, she was there, bending water into a tornado to rise up and take out planes with ice shards she was bending as they approached. To say that the display was impressive would be an understatement and Asami finally understood the power Korra had even without the Avatar state. _This is what she was born to do._ Was all Asami could think to herself as she saw Korra effortlessly take down plane after plane. So much had changed in the few short days since that battle.

Now, Korra was a shell of her former self. She had defeated Amon but he had taken her bending. Which was how Asami found herself on an airship heading to the Southern Water Tribe with Mako, Bolin, Tenzin and his family and Chief Beifong. They were all holding out hope that Katara would be able to heal Korra or somehow restore her bending but no one had ever seen anything like this so uncertainty hung thick in the air. 

Asami had been quietly talking with Tenzin and the rest of the group but had drifted from the conversation when they started to discuss what was going to happen to the Equalists who had been taken prisoner after the fighting was done. She didn’t want to hear about what would happen with her father. Facing him at the airfield had been like losing him all over again. _The fact that he tried to kill me is not what I want to be thinking about in such a confined space._ She thought to herself as she quietly slipped away from the group. 

She found her feet taking her to the familiar bench she and Korra had sat on after they discovered the hidden factory under the estate. She quietly sat down on the end opposite Korra and leaned back so her head was against the wall behind the bench. Looking up at the ceiling she let her thoughts drift to the events of the past few weeks and then further back, trying to find some comfort in the few clear memories she had of her mother before Korra’s voice cut through the silence.

“I should have stayed at the compound like everyone wanted me to. Instead I put the lives of everyone in Republic City in danger. I started a war. I made you lose your dad. I lost my bending. I’m the worst Avatar ever. I just feel so alone.”

“No, that’s nonsense. You are amazing.”

“How can you say that? I’ve done nothing but upset you and make your life worse since we met.”

Asami was genuinely taken aback by Korra’s words. She turned her body to take Korra in. Korra had her arms wrapped around her legs which were pulled to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. _She looks so small. She might be the Avatar but we all forget she’s human first._ Asami studied Korra and took a moment to think carefully about what she was going to say.

“Korra...none of this was your fault. The Equalists would have risen up with or without your presence. My father,” Asami’s voice caught in her throat. She took a deep breath to steel herself before continuing. “My father became so consumed by hatred that he didn’t love my mother anymore. He...he didn’t love at all.” She finished quietly. 

Korra seemed to be considering this but the vacant look she had been wearing before Asami sat down slowly returned and she turned her body so it was facing the window. Not wanting to push Korra, Asami made her way to her cabin and turned in for the night.

* * *

Katara carefully observed Korra going through the motions for each of the bending forms for water, earth, and fire. Fear settled in her bones as she realized that Amon had succeeded in removing Korra’s bending. Not because the Avatar lacked the ability to bend three of the four elements. The world could survive without the Avatar, they had seen that with Aang. It wouldn’t be easy but they would find a way. Katara was fearful about how this would affect Korra, the person behind the title, the little girl who buried her in snow more times than she could count, the child who wanted nothing more than to be the Avatar. 

When Korra was done demonstrating she dropped to the floor in a heap and began to softly cry. A pain Katara could never heal clearly evident. She waited for Korra to calm down before approaching her. Katara reached down to help Korra up and looked into her eyes. The bright blue that usually shone in them was a dull gray. 

“I’m sorry.”

Korra gazed back at her, tears once again filling her eyes.

“There’s nothing else we can try?”

“No, I’ve tried everything in my power.” 

“Can you tell them?” Korra asked and Katara was reminded of whenever Korra was little and would break something. Korra would always ask Katara if she would tell her parents for her and Katara had always replied with a firm no.

“Of course.” She said as she turned and slid open the door of the healing room. 

* * *

Korra had waited patiently as Katara had tirelessly worked through everything she knew about healing. None of it worked. Water, the element that had come to her so naturally wouldn’t move. Earth stayed firmly below her feet no matter how precise she was with her forms. There wasn’t even a hint of smoke when she tried firebending. 

Still, Katara tried and after her last attempt had looked at Korra with so much sorrow in her eyes that Korra knew. It was gone. The feeling of not knowing who she was that she had been able to keep at bay surged to the forefront of her mind and overtook her every thought. As Katara went to inform every important person in Korra’s life that she couldn’t restore Korra’s bending, Korra settled down on the rug of the healing room.

 _How can I bring balance to the world if I can’t bend three of the elements? If I can’t bend three elements then I’m not even the Avatar. I’m just some random airbender. That’s not who I am...or that’s not who I thought I would be._ Trapped in her thoughts it dawned on her that without her bending she felt lost. 

Korra wasn’t the type of bender that used her bending for little things but it was such a large part of her identity that without it she didn’t know who she was or who she could be. She thought her place in the world had been predetermined for her and she had been so eager to prove herself that she had messed up her own destiny. 

After a few minutes she couldn’t take it anymore. She quickly got up and slid open the door and walked out.

“...still airbend but her connection to the other elements has been severed.” Katara finished. 

Korra was greeted by an overwhelming number of concerned faces. 

“It’s going to be alright, Korra.” Tenzin said.

“No, it’s not.” Korra replied before swiftly grabbing her jacket as she exited the healing hut. She had to get away. She didn’t know what to do. 

_Maybe the cycle should start over. The world doesn’t need to deal with an Avatar that can only bend one element._ She thought to herself as she made her way to Naga. It wasn't the first time she had thought it since Amon took her bending but it was the first time she felt it was true. Korra had been able to hold out hope that Katara would be able to do something but now that the possibility of having her bending restored was gone she didn't see the point in being a glorified airbender.

She heard the shuffling of footsteps behind but didn’t turn to look; she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t want to change her mind.

“Korra, wait.” Mako called.

“Go away.” she said coldly and turned to face Mako who was followed by Bolin and Asami. 

“We will, but we just want you to know that we’re here for you.” he replied.

“No, I mean, go away back to Republic City. Get on with your lives.”

Asami spoke now, “Korra, What are you talking about?”

Korra set her jaw. They were really not getting this. “I’m not the Avatar anymore. You don’t need to do me any favors.”

Three sets of shocked eyes met her own. Korra couldn’t take it so she turned and began to walk away. Bolin grabbed her shoulder before she could leave them.

“We don’t care if you’re the Avatar or not. We care about you, Korra, not the Avatar.” he said earnestly. 

“Korra we believe in you, with or without bending, we will always believe in you.” Asami said as she moved in front of Korra. Her green eyes pleading for Korra to understand, to accept their offer to help her shoulder the load.

Korra pulled herself from Bolin’s grip and stepped around Asami. “I-I can’t.” she said as she jumped onto Naga’s saddle and rode away. 

* * *

Asami was used to waiting. Her father usually kept her waiting for things like dinner and galas and meetings but this was different. Knowing that Korra blamed herself for everything that had happened would be bad enough but adding the loss of her bending to that felt almost as bad as her father’s betrayal. Sitting on the bench in the healing hut was torture because while she was usually one of the people in action, trying to fix the problem, there was nothing she could do.

The wait was made worse by the sheer number of people packed into the hut. The Southern Water Tribe was cold but Asam was pretty sure that the heat in the hut could rival the hottest day in Republic City. In an effort to cool herself off she took to rolling up the sleeves of her shirt. 

_Lost._ Asami sighed when she caught sight of the word. _At least I can relate to that._ She thought to herself as she traced over the letters with the fingers of her right hand. It aptly described how she was feeling. The loss of her father, the uncertainty of the company she abruptly inherited and was expected to run, the sullying of her family name, and the removal of the bending abilities of so many. She didn’t know where to start but she figured she may as well focus back on the present.

The present was proving equally difficult though. The longer they waited the more Asami’s hope waned. When Katara emerged from the healing room with her head down she knew there wasn’t good news to be had. Korra followed her out shortly after and when Tenzin told her everything would be alright she wanted nothing more than to shout at him that he was wrong but Korra swiftly took care of that with three short words and an ever shorter exit. 

Asami, Mako and Bolin tried to stop Korra from leaving but it didn’t matter. Korra was convinced she had failed everyone and wasn’t going to stick around for the sympathetic looks she was receiving from everyone. As she watched her go Asami felt compelled to follow. She didn’t know why but she wanted to make sure Korra would be alright in the snow. So she followed in Naga’s tracks.

The further she walked, the more she shivered. The more she shivered, the more she regretted following Korra. _This was a stupid idea. She’s literally from here, of course she’ll be alright in the snow._ She thought to herself but she kept moving forward. Some unknown force compelled her to walk up to the top of the... _cliff._

_“Get on with your lives.”_

Asami started to run.

_“I’m not the Avatar anymore.”_

She crested the hill and saw Naga laying on the ground away from the cliff’s edge. Korra was nowhere in sight. Asami quickly ran forward but stopped when she heard Korra speak.

“Not now, Tenzin. I just want to be left alone.”

 _Did Tenzin airbend up here?_ Asami was about to turn back to give them some privacy but when a man’s voice she didn’t recognize responded to Korra she stayed where she was at. 

“But you called me here.”

“Aang.”

 _Avatar Aang?_ Intrigued, Asami moved forward so she could see both Korra and her past life. She watched in awe as Aang told Korra that she had finally connected to her spiritual self and placed his hands on Korra’s forehead and sternum. Aang’s spirit faded away and Korra’s eyes glowed white as she rose up on a tunnel of air. The four elements effortlessly swirling around her.

When Korra touched back down and the glow of the Avatar State faded from her eyes she spotted Asami. Korra ran to her and threw her arms around Asami. 

“Thank you, for believing in me,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always open to suggestions about plot points from the show you would like to see. I am saving "avatar state" for something special so don't fret but I'm open to other things too!


	11. Sorrow - Korra (17)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senna tells Korra about some of the words from her childhood. Asami dives into working to get Future Industries back on track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set a month after the last ep of S1. There is a six month gap between S1 an S2 so I'm gonna try to do some stories set in that time frame to get Korra and Asami to become besties since there's no Mako drama to get in their way.

Senna slowly cracked open the door to Korra’s room and took in the sight of her sleeping daughter. It had been a month since Korra had arrived back in the Southern Water Tribe broken and without her bending. Senna could tell that while her daughter had regained her ability to bend the three elements she had lost there was still residual damage. She saw it in the way Korra couldn’t quite meet the eyes of others, in the way that some of her sparring sessions showed a barely noticeable hesitancy, and in the way she would sometimes hear whimpers in the dead of night coming from Korra’s room.

She didn’t know what she could do for her daughter and sadly the short time off they had managed to get Korra to agree to was over. Senna pushed the door the rest of the way open and sat down on the edge of the bed and moved stray hair from Korra’s face.

“Korra, it’s time to wake up.” she said gently as she rubbed her daughter’s cheek. 

“Fi’ mr mimts.” Korra mumbled as she tried to roll over.

Senna gently placed her hand on Korra’s side to prevent her from turning. 

“Honey, you have to be on the airship in 30 minutes. I let you sleep as long as I could.”

Korra cracked an eye open, pouted and reached out to take her mother’s hand. Senna smiled at the all too familiar sight and couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“It’s nice to see that some things never change,” she said as she leaned down to place a kiss on Korra’s forehead.

Korra sighed as she sat up, pulled her mother into a tight hug and buried her face in the crook of Senna’s neck. Senna basked in the familiar feeling of holding her daughter close. She knew it would be a long time before she would get to see Korra again. When Korra finally moved from her mother’s embrace she had a frown on her face. Her eyes fixed on the word on her left arm.

_ Sorrow. _

“It’s been switching between heartbreak, loneliness and sorrow for a few weeks now. I’m starting to get a little worried about whoever it is.” Korra explained. 

Senna considered this. The words on her own arm had occasionally been concerning but hadn’t ever been anything quite like what Korra was describing. She thought back through the years and tried to remember any words she had seen on Korra’s arm and recalled that fateful day thirteen years ago.  _ It was about this time of year, I think. _ Senna thought to herself.

She gently placed her hand over the word on Korra’s arm and took a deep breath. They didn’t really have the time to have this discussion but she would rather tell Korra what she knew.

“About thirteen years ago I was giving you a bath. You had been playing in the mud after a lesson with Master Katara... 

* * *

After returning from the Southern Water Tribe, Asami dove headfirst into working at Future Industries. She read through every file, every project and every financial statement in an effort to get a grip on what needed to be done. At just 19 years old the responsibility of a multimillion yuan company rested squarely on her shoulders. The road ahead would be long and she was doubtful that anyone would trust a  _ Sato _ after what her father had done but she knew she had to try. 

_ This company is as much my mother’s legacy as it is mine and even his. I will not let it fail. _ She thought to herself as she sifted through the last of the documents and set aside the few that needed to be turned over to the police to be destroyed. She had vowed that she would not produce any of the weapons her father had designed and made an agreement with the Chief to get everything properly taken care of and secured.  _ One more thing in an effort to regain public trust. _

When she was done, she glanced around her office at the pieces of art that hung and the chair in the corner. A familiar feeling settled into her heart when she remembered what tomorrow’s date was.  _ Thirteen years. _ The thought brought tears to her eyes that she didn’t bother to suppress. No one was around. She was staying at the air temple and didn’t come to the estate unless she had work to do. So, Asami had given most of the staff paid time off and told them that they were welcome to seek employment elsewhere if they were no longer comfortable working for her because of her father’s actions. 

As her tears fell she thought back to that day. Her memory of it was a little hazy because she seldom thought about it and when she did it was usually tinged by a heavy sorrow that pulled her away from the happiness she knew she had felt. Asami remembered a warm day, turtleducks, the park, ice cream, and her stuffed polar bear dog.  _ Polar bear dog. I told her I was going to meet a polar bear dog. _ The memory brought a small smile to her lips and gave her an idea. 

* * *

Korra was late. Very late. The airship had waited for her because she was the only expected passenger and  _ the Avatar _ . Her mother had walked her there, held her close and sent her on her way back to Republic City. Korra hadn’t even noticed she was in her cabin on the ship until they hit a slight patch of turbulence and it jostled her from her thoughts. 

She was reeling from what her mom had told her. One day thirteen years ago her arm had said  _ death _ and then the next it had said  _ grief. Grief _ had stayed on her arm for two months. As if it had been permanently inked into her skin. Korra’s mother hadn’t been able to pinpoint a specific date but she knew it was about this time of year. Usually, Korra would not have noticed or cared so deeply but she was still feeling a bit on edge from the events that had occurred four short weeks ago. 

Reflecting on what she had been told, Korra realized that she didn’t understand what it was like to truly grieve or feel sorrow in the same way her soulmate was. Korra had been sad before. Losing her bending had been the most devastating thing that had ever happened to her but she had gotten it back fairly quickly so there was no true grief there. No true sorrow for what might have been. 

She had briefly considered restarting the Avatar cycle but hadn’t gone through with it. Korra knew she didn’t understand what it was like to feel a loss so monumental it overtook your emotions for months. She wondered what her soulmate was like, how whatever event had occurred in their childhood shaped them. Most of all Korra wished she had been paying more attention the day she had met her soulmate so that she could be there for them and help to provide the comfort they were probably in need of. 

Instead, she was feeling helpless. Floating through the sky with no idea who her soulmate is and how she could help them.

* * *

Asami sighed as she hung up the phone. She was going to ask Korra to go with her to carry out her plan but Tenzin had just called to inform her that the airship had left two hours late and Korra would not arrive before nightfall. She would have to do it alone. 

Having grabbed her coat and keys, she slowly made her way to the garage and slid into her car. Asami started the car and headed to her first stop. She entered and exited the shop quickly before returning to the car and starting the drive across the city. It had been at least ten years since she had last been through the gates but she knew exactly where she was going. Asami would never forget.

She parked the car and looked out across the cemetery and wished she had invited Mako or Bolin for support but she hadn’t wanted them. She knew they knew how she felt and she didn’t want that. Asami wanted someone to hold her hand and walk with her. She wanted someone who would listen and not give platitudes of understanding.

Asami took a deep breath to steady herself before unlocking the door. Her steps sent echos off the marble floor of the mausoleum. The grip she had on the fire lilies in her hands was close to snapping the stems. Eyes locked on _ Yasuko Sato _ engraved on the wall _.  _

The world fell away. It felt like she was transported; Asami felt like she was six again. The sound of breaking glass, the maid grabbing her and whisking her to the safety of a supply closet, the smell of smoke and then the scream. She dropped the flowers and a sob escaped her lips as she fell to her knees. The jolt of pain and the feel of cold marble on her hands brought her back to reality. 

She wasn’t that little girl tucked safely in a closet anymore. She was a woman who had grown up without her mother. An adult who didn’t know what to do and just wanted her momma. Asami crawled across the floor until she was sitting just under the plaque bearing her mother’s name and cried.

When she had given herself enough time she began to speak. Asami talked to her mother. Told her all about the time that had elapsed since she had last visited. She talked of the education she had received, meeting Mako, Bolin and Korra, taking down the equalists. Asami looked at her watch and realized she was going to be late if she didn’t go. She stood up and was halfway to the door when she remembered the reason she had come.

“Mom, I saw a polar bear dog. Well, really, I met a polar bear dog. Her name is Naga and she’s Korra’s animal guide. I told you that one day I would travel to the South and see one and I know you said that you were sure I would. You would love her; Naga, she’s the sweetest and most loyal animal I’ve ever met. I wish you could see her.”

* * *

Korra saw Asami’s car from the windows of the airship and couldn’t help but smile. Just like she had promised, Asami was there to pick her up. She quickly disembarked and practically ran to where Asami was standing. Korra was ready to sweep Asami into a hug when she noticed that while her friend was smiling and genuinely happy to see her, she also had red-rimmed eyes and her make-up wasn’t as pristine as it usually was. She slowed her approach and carefully wrapped her arms around Asami. 

“Thanks for picking me up later than expected. My mom and I were talking and we lost track of the time.” she said as she gave Asami a gentle squeeze. 

“It’s okay. I would have been here no matter the time.”

Korra heard Asami’s voice shake as she spoke but she made no comment as she let go of her friend and studied the other woman’s face carefully. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. Barely a whisper, she already knew the answer but was afraid that she might upset Asami further.

Green eyes quickly found the ground and Asami’s shoulders sank a little before she seemed to find her inner strength and draw herself back up to meet Korra’s eyes. “I will be. I-I...I don’t really want to talk about it right now but I promise, one day, I’ll tell you everything.”

Korra could see the honesty in Asami’s eyes and nodded, “Okay, when you’re ready, I’m here. No matter what. You can tell me anything.”

“I know,” Asami replied as she gave Korra a soft smile, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Can’t wait to get back to meditating constantly.” Korra deadpanned as she made her way to the passenger seat which caused Asami to huff out a laugh. 

“What? It’s soooooooo boring. And Tenzin’s all,  _ it’s not boring if you do it right. _ ” 

At that Asami broke into genuine laughter that died down quickly but Korra was glad she had managed to get Asami laughing just a little bit. She would always be glad when she could bring her friends some comfort.


	12. Scared - Asami (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Korra have some late night tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still between S1 and S2 - about midway.

Korra stared at the ceiling. The firm bed underneath her grounding her in reality but flashes of her final fight with Amon still played through her mind. She had lost in a sense; Amon had managed to remove her bending and she knew it was essentially luck that her airbending had made itself known at the last minute to save Mako from the same fate she had suffered.

Night was the hardest time for her. The nightmares that had started plague her shortly after she first witnessed Amon remove someone’s bending had taken on new forms over time. So Korra had resigned herself to losing sleep each night but tonight sleep had yet to come to her. The sense of uncertainty and dread that usually showed up post-nightmare had settled deep in her gut and she felt like she could hear every sound on the island. 

Soft footsteps in the hallway outside her room drew her attention. Korra got up and followed the sound until she found herself in the doorway of the kitchen watching Asami fuss with the kettle. Asami set two cups on the counter before whispering across the kitchen causing Korra to jump.  _ What does she have eyes in the back of her head? _

“I know why I’m up. Why are you up? You have training at sunrise.”

Korra shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Asami grabbed the kettle before it started to whistle and had the chance to wake everyone in the temple. She poured the water over the leaves in the cups and left them to steep. She turned to face Korra, leaning against the counter.

“I know. When I heard you sigh through the wall for the seventh time I figured you could use some tea and company.”

“Sorry,” Korra replied looking sheepish in the moonlight, “I just...I don’t know what to do anymore. Amon is still out there...somewhere. What if he comes back?”

Asami’s face remained passive but Korra knew she was thinking carefully about what she would say next. So, Korra moved from the doorway of the kitchen to sit at the small table across from where Asami stood and waited. As she sat, she thought. Logically, she knew that  _ if  _ Amon came back, and that was a big  _ if _ , she would be ready. Korra had been training airbending for the past three months and had great control over the Avatar state but she was still unsure of herself. Unsure of her ability to keep everyone safe. 

* * *

To say that the walls of Air Temple Island were thin would be an understatement. Asami’s room was right next to Korra’s which was usually fine. Occasionally, she would hear the Avatar sneeze or cough or roll over but tonight was different. It seemed like she could hear Korra breathe through the wall. 

Asami heard her friend sigh, a telltale sign that she wasn’t asleep. And then she heard another...and another...and another. By the time she had counted to seven sighs she had had enough.  _ Well then, I’ll make her some tea and see if I can’t find out what's bothering her. _

She quietly padded across her room and slowly slid open the door before making her way to the kitchen. Asami was about halfway there when she heard Korra slip out of her room and follow her. When she reached the kitchen, she filled the kettle and brought down two cups before speaking to Korra. 

She talked as loud as she dared in an effort to not wake anyone. “I know why I’m up. Why are you up? You have training at sunrise.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Asami could hear the exhaustion seeping through Korra’s voice. She heard the kettle reach a rolling boil and grabbed it before replying.

“I know. When I heard you sigh through the wall for the seventh time I figured you could use some tea and company,” she tried to keep her voice light.  _ Korra’s not one to willingly miss out on sleep so something must really be bothering her. _

“Sorry, I just...I don’t know what to do anymore. Amon is still out there...somewhere. What if he comes back.”

Asami gently set the cups on the table before taking the seat opposite Korra; she should see the wheels turning in Korra’s mind but her face was a mask of impassivity. Asami desperately wanted to press Korra as to why she was feeling this way but she knew it would be futile. She had seen what happened when Tenzin and Mako did the same and it usually ended in Korra yelling and walking away to punch something. 

“Korra, even though I know you could do it alone, you don’t have to. Mako, Bolin and I will always be fighting at your side.”

“But...it wouldn’t be saf-”

Asami cut her off. “Don’t. It’s not safe for you either. I know the stakes. Mako and Bolin know the stakes.”

Korra ducked her head and let out a sigh before she moved her hands to grasp her cup. Asami studied Korra’s features under the moonlight; she couldn’t see Korra’s face but her body language was screaming uncertainty. When Korra finally spoke it was at a volume it seemed she hoped no one would hear.

“I failed before. I couldn’t keep Tahno or Beifong or her men safe. I only managed to save Mako by randomly punching the air and airbending out of nowhere. What if it happens again? What if I can’t control the Avatar state? What if -”

“Korra.” Asami said as she reached across the table to grab one of Korra’s hands and removed it from her tea cup and clutched it in her own. She gave it a light squeeze. “It’s okay to feel doubt.” 

With tears pricking the corners of her eyes, Korra looked away from Asami and out the window but didn’t move her hand from Asami’s grasp. Asami was content to sit in silence with Korra for as long as she needed it. Once their tea had gone cold, Asami gently extracted her hand from Korra’s and cleaned up the kitchen.

Korra hadn’t seemed to notice her movements so she cleared her throat as she looked at the clock. “Come on, let’s try to get some sleep.”

* * *

She felt a little better as she settled in her bed after her short talk with Asami. Korra was grateful for Asami’s support and understanding but it made Korra realize that she hadn’t understood what she was actually feeling. What she and Asami had both thought was uncertainty was actually fear. Korra was scared.

There were so many things she was scared of she didn’t even try to list them to herself. It would have overwhelmed her but being able to pinpoint what she was actually feeling helped her to relax a bit. Korra tried to be as quiet as possible as she shifted in bed. Her left arm entered her line of sight as she did.  _ Worry. _

Korra stopped herself from sighing, knowing that Asami would hear her if she did. She thought back to the gala and everyone she met that night but the only person she could really remember was Asami.  _ She’s not worried. She’s confident and always knows just what to say. _ As she thought her eyes became heavy and she slowly slipped into the best sleep she had since she first encountered Amon. 

* * *

It was well past midnight but after seeing Korra to her room Asami knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. The state of the person she was beginning to consider her best friend in addition to her finally having a firm grasp on the status of Future Industries meant her mind had gone into overdrive. She grabbed a book she brought from the estate and turned on the small lamp beside her bed before removing her robe and slipping under the covers.

Asami read until her blinking turned into prolonged periods of darkness. She felt herself sliding toward sleep so she dogeared her place and reached to turn off the light. As she did the sleeve of her nightgown slid up toward her elbow and she caught sight of her new word.  _ Scared. _ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she relaxed into the bed. Asami wasn’t thrilled by the word but it wasn’t entirely unexpected based on the other words that had recently been appearing. She started listing them as exhaustion overtook her.  _ Stress. Worry. Do-  _


	13. Loyalty - Korra (18)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What was it like? Being the Avatar’s soulmate?” Korra asked tentatively. 
> 
> Katara leaned back, settling deeper into her seat. If she was surprised by Korra’s question, she didn’t let it show. She thought for a moment and Korra waited patiently; she wanted honesty and was more than willing to wait for it. 
> 
> Asami is busy trying to save Future Industries and Korra is concerned about how her being the Avatar will affect her soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go S2 E1-4 background. Have y'all noticed that Korra and Asami are almost NEVER together in S2. Makes for few opportunities...anywhoooo 
> 
> Happy New Year! I hope you like it!

Korra gazed at the skyline of Republic City as she leaned against Naga atop one of the cliffs of Air Temple Island. It was a place she always sought out when she needed solitude and some time to think. A practice that had become more and more common as her training seemed to plateau. She took in the view and thought about what it had felt like to defeat Amon; how that first blast of airbending saved so many people. _Yet,_ **_people_ ** _still think I’m not ready to be an airbending master._

She sighed as she rolled down the sleeve of her left arm; as she read the word that hadn’t changed in two weeks she let her thoughts wander to those around her. _Stress._ Everyone around her was virtually at their breaking point in terms of being stressed. Mako with his police work, Tenzin with his family, Bolin and what he was going to do with his life, and Asami. Asami was probably the most stressed outside of herself. 

Korra could tell by the way Asami was physically present but usually mentally somewhere else. The far off look she had when her immediate attention wasn’t needed by those around her, her leaving the island before dawn and not coming back until dinner and even then she would go over reports and blueprints before bed, and no real time to just sit and talk like Korra had grown accustomed to after their midnight tea a few months ago.

She leaned further into Naga and traced the word over and over again. The more she thought about it, the more the idea popped into her head. It wasn’t really an idea, more of a fact that needed to be investigated, but still, ever since that night when Asami had gone out of her way to make her some tea the thought had been tickling the back of her mind. Today, it tried to make itself fully known but Korra was quick to shove it into a box labeled _for later._

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to know if it was true. Quite frankly, she was very hopeful it was true but she didn’t know what to do about it. _Who in their right mind would want the Avatar as their soulmate?_

* * *

Asami stared blankly at the bowl of rice set in front of her. Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation she had with one of her advisors after completing upgrades on Future Industries planes. _No company will work with us. We’re nearly bankrupt._ It wasn’t that she hadn’t been aware of that fact. Asami had tried. Repeatedly. No one in Republic City was willing to invest in her company or buy her products.

Sure, she had managed to buy back some good will by donating new and improved Sato-Cycles to the Republic City Police Department. Lin Beifong trusted her. Asami had even made a good enough impression on the newly elected President and he had agreed that in the event of needing any new Mecha-Suits they would buy from Future Industries. But both of those gains had come at financial loss and while it was good business to be on the side of those most prominent people in town, Asami couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

A gentle hand squeezing her own brought her back to the present. Just as quickly as the hand had landed on her own it was gone and the friendly conversation that was going on around the small kitchen table of the ship hit her full force. Asami quickly turned her head in the direction the grounding hand had come from and caught sight of cyan eyes flicking away from her. She finally picked up her chopsticks and started to eat as Mako chuckled and wrapped up some story about a couple of triads he had caught the other day. 

“So I walk up and say, ‘Looks like you had some car trouble. Good thing the police are here.’”

 _Oh. Oh no, he didn’t. Did he just? For someone so serious about his job he manages to take the time to make lame puns._ It took all of Asami’s willpower to not roll her eyes and let out a groan but she could see that Mako’s proud. She once again turned to look at Korra who was trying valiantly to keep a straight face. When blue eyes met green Asami shot Korra a sly smirk and a wink before turning back to Mako. 

“Did you write that beforehand?” Asami asked, feigning genuine interest and she felt Korra’s hand lock on her knee and squeeze in an effort to control herself. 

Poor Mako, always happy to answer any question thrown his way replied, “Yeah, I had a few others…” and proceeded to pull out a piece of paper with his list. When Asami replied to his last one with, “Ooh, I like that one,” Korra lost it. She was hunched over the table laughing so hard tears came to her eyes and Asami’s laughter soon followed. 

They finally caught their breath and noticed that Mako was looking at them with something akin to hurt in his eyes and Korra was quick to apologize. 

“Sorry, Mako. It’s just that I never took you for the type to have puns at the ready. Your job sounds so fun. All I do is train all day,” she paused and Asami noticed her tense up from the corner of her eye. “It’s like Tenzin’s totally forgotten how I beat Amon.”

Asami was about to say something to try to comfort Korra but could only watch in horror as Mako said the wrong thing. And Korra was gone; she walked away in a huff as she was wont to do anytime she felt she was being looked down upon. Asami glared at Mako.

“Why? Why do you say things like that?”

Mako looked at her with genuine confusion, “What it’s true? Tenzin is just trying to make her the best Avatar she can be.”

Asami huffed out a breath. “Be that as it may, there are better ways to say that. Korra is Korra before she’s the Avatar. I feel like we all sometimes forget to take her feelings into account. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to try to clean up your mess.”

She quickly left the table and went in search of Korra but couldn’t find her. Asami wanted to reassure Korra that she had full confidence that she is a great Avatar and maybe get the chance to talk through a few of the things that were stressing her out. She couldn’t find Korra anywhere, so she made her way to her empty cabin and laid down with the dim hope of getting some sleep.

* * *

Korra tentatively knocked on the door of Katara’s hut. She hoped that her mentor was home and wasn’t upset with her due to the tension that was ongoing with Tenzin. Korra was just about to walk away when the door creaked open and Katara’s smiling face greeted her.

“Korra! To what do I owe the pleasure? Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Korra beamed back, “No, no. I’m fine. I just need some...advice?” She finished as her face filled with uncertainty.

“Are you telling me or asking me?” Katara shot back with a chuckle, her quick wit still present even at her age. 

“Uhhh...both. Please, if you have the time.”

Katara opened her door further and motioned for Korra to come in, “Tea?”

“Please,” Korra replied as she made her way to the kitchen to help Katara as she had done as a child. When the water had been sufficiently warmed using Korra’s bending and they were settled on the soft cushions of Katara’s couch near the fire, Korra got down to business. 

“What was it like? Being the Avatar’s soulmate?” Korra asked tentatively. 

Katara leaned back, settling deeper into her seat. If she was surprised by Korra’s question, she didn’t let it show. She thought for a moment and Korra waited patiently; she wanted honesty and was more than willing to wait for it. 

“Aang never believed he had a soulmate. He never had so much as a stray mark on his arm in his 12 years before going into the ice. It was just blank because I was nowhere near being alive. Even my parents weren’t alive yet,” she chuckled. “ Me, on the other hand. I didn’t understand. My word never changed. From the time I was born it said _suspended._ After 14 years I had convinced myself that whoever it was wasn’t actually out there.” 

Korra nodded. “That must have been hard for both of you.”

“It was, but once we found each other it still wasn’t smooth sailing. I immediately knew it was him because both our arms said _meet soulmate_ and he was the only new person around for miles but I didn’t take it well that he was the Avatar at first. It was too much; especially after thinking I didn’t have someone for so long.”

“So you didn’t want the Avatar to be your soulmate?” Korra asked meekly, tears threatening to spill over.

Katara moved over on the couch and gathered Korra in her arms. She ran a soothing hand up and down Korra’s back as she continued. “Yes, I didn’t want _the Avatar_ to be my soulmate; _but_ after I got to know Aang beyond just his title as the Avatar, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be anyone else. It was...challenging at times, especially when he would have to travel or when he was in danger. There were arguments on what he should have delegated and what he needed to be directly involved in but that is something we can discuss later, if you want.”

“I’d like that.” Korra said as she took a sip of her tea. 

“Now I have a question for you. You can be vague if you’d like but I would like to know at least a little bit.”

Korra nodded, “I’ll give you what I can.”

“Have you met your soulmate?”

“I have but it was at this really big party and I wasn’t paying attention to my arm so I totally missed it.”

“I see,” Katara paused for a moment before pressing on, “I take it you wanted my thoughts on being the Avatar’s soulmate because you figured out who it is.”

“Maybe; at least I think so - I hope it’s them.”

Katara hummed as she thought, “Well, if they ever need to talk, after the two of you discuss it, let them know I would be more than happy to.”

“Thanks Katara, I’m sure sh- _they_ will definitely want to talk.”

Katara gave Korra a smile and a conspiratorial wink as she got up to walk Korra to the door. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

* * *

When Korra found an empty cell and Unalaq’s booming voice announced “I’m sorry, Korra. You’ll never see your father again,” Asami could feel the rage flow through her veins. _No. He will not do this._ She had never had such a visceral reaction to something before but she knew Korra didn’t deserve _that._ Just because some power hungry man wanted control over the South. So, without thinking, as Unalaq further taunted his niece by lording it over her head that she couldn’t take him out she spoke. 

“She can’t, but I can.” 

Asami was moving before Korra, Mako or Unalaq realized what was happening. When it finally registered, Asami was halfway to Unalaq who had reached for his water pouch and opened the cap. The water he tried to direct at Asami was stopped and whipped to the other end of the hall by Korra. Asami saw that Unalaq had once again shifted his attention to Korra, thinking that Korra was going to engage him and with one, almost gentle, touch of her glove the chief crumpled to the floor.

As they sped back to Republic City on Varrick’s boat Asami couldn’t help but think about how she truly hadn’t been in control of her actions. _I essentially helped start a civil war because I can’t say no to Korra._ Asami knew what they were doing was illegal; the plan was to literally bust people out of prison _but_ she didn’t have to attack Unalaq. Korra could have handled that on her own. Mako just stood there, but he could have done something too. _Korra would never ask me to do something like that for her._

The more she sat and thought, the more confused she became. Asami was supposed to be rational and her actions in the past 24 hours had been anything but. _Rational would have been making sure I was doing everything in my power to make sure Future Industries is secure. Rational would be not doing illegal things when your father was just sent to jail for causing an uprising. How are people supposed to trust me if I just go_

Her gaze locked on the horizon, she didn’t notice Korra sit down next to her until a gentle hand stopped the nervous twisting of her fingers.

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? Like I just made the biggest mistake of my life. I helped start a war. How are people going to trust Future Industries if I make the same mistakes as my father.”

She didn’t mean for it to come out but that’s what happened when Korra asked her questions. Words just spilled out of her; always the truth, rarely sugar-coated and she never regretted it. 

Korra hummed as she gave Asami’s hands a squeeze. “Asami, this is nothing like what your father did. If you're worried, we can just say I did it..that’s what we’ll tell everyone. I won’t let this ruin what you’re doing. I attacked Unalaq. I started...well, I mean, really Unalaq started it but I always get the blame so might as well start getting used to it, right?”

“Korra, you don’t have to do that. I can handle it, I can be accountable for my actions.”

 _Even if I have no idea why I do what I do,_ she followed up in her head.

“No. Asami, you’ve worked too hard and still have so much work to do. Let me do this. I can handle it.”

Asami found herself agreeing before her brain could even catch up to what was going on. By the time Asami had come to her senses Korra was gone and when she reached the cabin they were sharing Korra was already asleep. 

* * *

Korra finished washing up in the bathroom and continued to get ready for bed. As she tugged her sleeves off to prepare to change into her pajamas she looked at her word. She had started a routine; each night she would look at it when she changed for bed and would go through the events of the day. 

_Loyalty._

Korra smiled to herself because after three and a half weeks, a new word appeared and she had a strong inclination to put a point in her mental “I’m Right” column. She thought back to the icy prison. Korra had been seconds from hurling a ball of fire at her uncle’s smug face when Asami stepped in. No one ever stood up for Korra like that; not her father, or Mako, or Bolin. Asami was always the first one to agree to help her, the first one to defend her when someone said something that upset her and the first one to always make sure she was okay. With that knowledge, Korra was decided. _I’ll talk to her when everything settles down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...I'll give you this much: Pump the breaks on your excitement


	14. Remember - Asami (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now...Now she was staring at...well she wasn’t sure what she was staring at but she assumed it wasn’t good. Where there was usually a pristine word each day there was a tangle of black letters overlapping. Potentially hundreds of overlapping and illegible words that could only be described as a smudge. Asami couldn’t say how long it had been there. If she was honest with herself she hadn’t looked at the words in weeks having been so concerned with everything going on with Future Industries and in the South. Figuring out who her soulmate is had significantly moved down her list of priorities. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami centric cause Korra got eaten by a spirit and is MIA and remembering Wan's life. Basically covering the time of S2 E5-8.

The last thing Asami had expected for her day was for an upset Avatar to burst into her office and demand a boat. Without looking up from her work Asami said the first thing that crossed her mind, “Korra, you can’t drive a car, what makes you think I’m going to let you drive a boat to the Fire Nation by yourself?”

Asami mentally cursed herself when she registered what she’d said and looked up to find Korra’s already red-rimmed and puffy eyes filling with tears. Korra immediately turned to walk away and Asami quickly rose from her chair and jogged across the room grabbing Korra’s arm to stop her.

“Wait! Wait, I’m sorry. I just...I shouldn’t have said that. Come here,” she said as she pulled Korra into a hug. “What happened?”

They broke apart and Korra wiped the tears that had trailed down her face with her sleeve. Asami pulled them to the new couch that sat under the windows of her office. 

“I just...Mako. He went behind my back and told Raiko about Varrick’s idea to go directly to the troops and we kinda had a really big…” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, “I may have destroyed his desk at the police station while we had a very public and heated argument. I-I don’t think we’re friends anymore,” Korra finished with a shaky breath. 

Asami thought for a moment; it hadn’t been Varrick’s most brilliant idea but it had been the only one Korra had to try to help her people and Mako had essentially betrayed Korra’s trust.

“Okay, so why the Fire Nation?”

“General Iroh suggested it. He thinks his grandfather and mother will stand by the Avatar.”

“And you’re sure you can drive a boat? I can come with you.”

Korra and Asami both knew that Asami did not have the time for a trip to the Fire Nation.

“No, you have too much to do here. Asami, I promise, if you show me the basics, I’m sure I can do it.”

“Okay. I have one that should get you there within a day.”

They quickly made their way to the docks and Asami gave Korra a quick overview of the boat. She didn’t go into too much detail but triple checked to make sure Korra had enough fuel to get to the Fire Nation. 

“Be safe. Let me know what you find out and if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

“I will.” Korra said as turned to hop into the waiting boat. Asami turned and walked back up the dock, already mentally going through the list of everything she needed to do for the rest of the day when she heard Korra call her name. She turned on her heel and walked back to where Korra was standing next to the boat.

“Asami, when I get back...we...can we talk?”

Asami’s brow furrowed. “Korra, we’ve been talking for the last hour and a half.”

Korra chuckled and placed her hand on Asami’s arm giving it a light squeeze. “Yes, but I mean not about Avatar stuff and Mako. There’s something else I need to talk to you about when I’m not so…all over the place.”

“O-okay...is everything alright?”

“Aside from the civil war, my constant mistakes and -”

“Korra,” Asami warned.

“Yes, everything is fine. There’s just something that’s been on my mind that I want to run by you. So, lunch when I get back?”

“Of course. Now go...before I change my mind and tag along.”

* * *

Asami paced the length of her room at the Air Temple, which was not very far so it was doing nothing for her nerves. She couldn’t believe everything that had happened in the past three days and was nearing her wits end. She had seen Korra off to the Fire Nation but hadn't heard a word from her; Asami wasn’t worried, per say, but something didn’t feel right about it. Then her shipment to the South had been stolen and she had grudgingly accepted help from Mako (she gave him an earful, _again,_ about how he needed to be more considerate of Korra’s feelings while they were doing the sting) to try to figure out what was happening to all of the shipments that kept getting stolen only to find that it was a ploy by someone, she didn’t know who to clean out her warehouse. 

And now...Now she was staring at...well she wasn’t sure what she was staring at but she assumed it wasn’t good. Where there was usually a pristine word each day there was a tangle of black letters overlapping. Potentially hundreds of overlapping and illegible words that could only be described as a _smudge._ Asami couldn’t say how long it had been there. If she was honest with herself she hadn’t looked at the words in weeks having been so concerned with everything going on with Future Industries and in the South. Figuring out who her soulmate is had significantly moved down her list of priorities. _I mean we have forever...or I thought we had forever._

She wondered what she should do, who she could ask. It wasn’t uncommon to see someone else’s word; it was a little rare since sleeves were in fashion but it was rather unusual to discuss them with someone other than your soulmate. Asami made a list of people she would be comfortable with taking a look at her newfound smudge and came up with two people. Kya would be ideal because as a healer she might have other knowledge regarding it but she was on family vacation with Tenzin _and Pema_ who Asami would have also trusted. She sighed; she would settle for a healer on the island and see if they knew anything about her anomaly.

Asami slid the door open and started walking towards the small healing hut on the island. When she arrived, she found it was empty. Her head dropped. _Right, Korra is usually the one to do the healing and since no one else is here…_ She left the hut and began to make her way to the kitchen for some tea in the hopes that it would calm her nerves a bit and was so lost in thought that she nearly ran into Senna who was headed in the opposite direction.

“Oh my! I’m-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I -”

“Asami, slow down, it’s alright. No harm done.” Senna replied with a smile and she grabbed Asami by the arms before she could leave. Asami froze as Korra’s mother took her in, keenly aware of the emotions written in her features and frantically trying to school her face into a look of neutrality but she could tell it was too late.

She braced herself for the question she knew was coming but was pleasantly surprised when Senna looped her arm through hers and began to guide her toward the kitchen. Senna ushered her into a seat and busied herself with making tea. When a steaming mug of tea was placed in front of her, she gathered the courage to look at Senna. Asami felt herself shrink under the motherly gaze that was being directed her way and suddenly she was finding the pile of dishes next to the sink fascinating. 

Senna was patient and waited for Asami to finally look her in the eyes before asking how she was doing. Asami found that much like when Korra asked her what was bothering her, she couldn’t resist answering Senna.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice going up at the end. 

Senna raised an eyebrow at her and Asami now knew how her ignorant board members felt when she caught them trying to undermine her. 

“I...something weird has happened with my…” Asami trailed off as she motioned to her left arm. 

Asami watched as worry filled Senna’s features. “Is it…”

“No. It’s still there. It’s just,” Asami couldn’t think of how to explain it so she rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and held her arm out for Senna to see. “I was looking for a healer or someone who knows more about this stuff than I do but it seems the island is pretty empty.”

Senna nodded and got up to walk around the table to get a closer look. “It looks like hundreds if not thousands of words. Has it ever happened before?”

Asami shook her head no and at that Senna pursed her lips. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this. The only person I know who might know something about it is Katara but we have no way to contact her since she refuses to install a phone in her house.”

The tiny shred of hope of getting an explanation that Asami had been clinging to had all but vanished when Senna said that. She stared down at the black smudge on her arm and willed it to morph into something legible. Senna’s voice brought her back to the present. 

“How long has it been like that?”

Asami ducked her head as she answered, “I haven’t really looked at any of the words in weeks; I’ve been distracted. So, I have no idea.”

Senna grasped Asami’s sleeve and rolled it back down before she took Asami’s hand in her own. “I’ll make a call tomorrow to get a message to Katara to see if she knows anything about this and let you know. How does that sound?”

Asami once again found herself overwhelmed by Senna’s kindness and looked away as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She gave herself a moment and cleared her throat in the hopes her voice would come out level, “That would be great. Thank you, Senna.”

“Anytime, Asami. You’re Korra’s best friend so you’re family. If you ever need anything all you have to do is ask.”

She couldn’t hold the dam back anymore. Thirteen years worth of pent up tears from a lack of mothering burst forth from the tiny amount she had experienced in the last twenty minutes. Senna quickly gathered Asami in her arms and held her as her body wracked with sobs. When Asami had quieted, Senna spoke to her again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, I just wanted to let you know you have more than just Korra, Mako and Bolin.”

“I just...it’s been so long since I’ve felt like part of a real family. I had my dad but it was nothing like the family I’ve been able to choose so far.”

Senna gave her a soft smile before gathering their mugs and washing them up. “Thank you for sharing that with me, Asami. I promise I’ll do what I can to see what I can find. Would you mind letting me know if it changes?”

“Sure. I’ll try to keep a better eye on it too.”

Senna nodded, “Good, now go get some sleep. I know how much you’ve been working and I won’t feel bad about locking you in a room with a bed and nothing else.”

Asami chuckled before getting up and making her way back to her room.

* * *

The next morning her arm was still a mess of words, but it was in a slightly different shape. _So it did change overnight,_ Asami mused as she got dressed for the day. She went about her day as usual; board meetings where she was told how close to a shut down her company was for the thousandth time, once again telling Research and Development that they could neither research nor develop anything, and getting a stress headache just as she sat down to have a moment’s peace. Seeing as that wasn’t going to happen she made her way to the test track to fine tune the car she had been working on.

By lunchtime Asami was covered in grease, as she always was after a good day’s work, and needed a shower. She cleaned up as much as she could in the garage but there were several particularly stubborn spots on her arms and one across her forehead. Seeing no other option, she carefully made her way back to Air Temple Island. She loosened the grease with a hefty dose of soap directly from the bar for her arms. The soap fell from her hand when she saw the single word on her arm. _Remember._

She quickly finished her shower and changed. She was just about to exit her room to find Senna when a knock sounded on her door. Asami slid open the door and was greeted by the woman she was about to go in search of.

“Hi, I was just about to come find you.”

Senna chuckled, “Well then, this is perfect but I’m afraid I have some bad news. I called and left that message like I told you I would but Katara had no knowledge of anything like you showed me ever happening before.”

Asami shot Senna a grateful smile, “Would it also be safe to say that she’s never heard of a word changing in the middle of the day?”

Shock etched itself onto Senna’s face. “Is that even...did that happen to you?”

“Today, I woke up with a new jumble of words but sometime between when I looked at it as I got dressed this morning and when I took a shower it went back to normal.” Asami answered as she nodded. 

“I think it would be safe to assume that no one I know has ever had that happen to them.” Senna said with a sad smile. “I’m sorry we couldn’t figure it out.”

“I’m sure when I finally figure out who it is, it will make sense. So we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Senna nodded at that and turned to head down the hall, she called out over her shoulder, “Dinner will be ready in an hour, don’t be late!”

Asami smiled as she sat down at her desk and pulled out a blank journal. _I’ll start writing them down - that way I can keep track and get back to figuring out who this is._

She dated the first page and wrote down what had happened. _Definitely something to ask about when we start to get to know one another._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korra hasn't told anyone yet so Senna doesn't know and Katara has now puzzled it out cause who else would have weird things happening with their word outside the Avatar's soulmate?
> 
> Also the smudge is from when Korra is in the spirit water and basically reliving/remembering Wan's journey to becoming the Avatar so she is feeling everything he felt throughout his life in the timespan of basically two days so every single feeling in layered on Asami's arm until Korra has recovered which is when it goes back to normal. 
> 
> Will our girls finally get it together? Stay tuned, friends.


	15. Trust - Asami (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust.
> 
> The emotion that Asami had been grappling with for the better part of a year was emblazoned on her arm in bold black letters. Whoever her soulmate is must have been feeling a great deal of it. The engineer was also about to have to rely heavily on it herself and the logical part of her brain was fine with it but her emotions were a bit scattered. 
> 
> Her hastily crafted plan, inspired by Bumi of all people, had been immediately accepted by Korra and the others. Asami, Mako and Bolin would fly ahead on the plane from the Zhu Li and try to create a hole and distraction big enough for everyone else to get through and into the Spirit World so Korra could close the portals before Harmonic Convergence. Still, Asami had to admit she was a little satisfied by the word because it matched what she was feeling exactly and being insync with her soulmate, even if she didn’t know who it was brought her some comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'm still alive. My brain basically said no when I initially went to start writing this but it finally came around and I hope you like! We will be moving into Season 3 which is really gonna pick up the pace and test our girls.

Asami could immediately tell something was off with Korra. From the minute her feet hit the ground outside the probending arena the Avatar seemed distant. Blue eyes had tentatively met her own but didn’t show the depth of friendship and acknowledgement Asami had grown used to in the past few months. In fact, Asami would have said any nonverbal connection she and Korra had developed had completely vanished. The engineer chalked it up to it possibly being the result of the stress and pressure Korra was under but that all changed when they reached the police station.

Korra ran up and hugged Mako when he was released from his cell. A stunned silence permeated the room. Asami felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She vividly remembered how crushed Korra had been because of Mako’s actions.  _ I don’t think we’re friends anymore. _ Those were Korra’s exact words before she left. Something was definitely wrong with the Avatar. The engineer was proven right when a shocked Mako asked her whether or not she was still mad at him and Korra had no idea what he was talking about before she explained.

“I got attacked by a dark spirit, and I lost my memory for a little while. Maybe it hasn’t all come back yet. Was it a bad fight?”

“Uh...mm. No it-it wasn’t that bad.”

Asami was confident that if latent fireneding was a thing it would have made its presence known at that precise moment; fortunately for Mako, she was only able to give him her best glare but if looks could kill, Mako would have dropped dead. She was just about to give Mako a piece of her mind when Tenzin cut in and reminded them that they didn’t have much time to stop Unalaq. 

* * *

After a quick stop to talk to Varrick, Korra found herself on a battleship on the way to her homeland. She stood on the deck, gazing out over the water. Night had fallen and they were making good time but that didn’t diminish her worry over the whole situation. It also didn’t help that she knew she was forgetting things, things that were clearly important if the looks on the faces of her friends were anything to go by. 

One face in particular had been the most perplexed and hurt by her memory loss - Asami. From what the Avatar could remember she and Asami were friends; but not particularly close to her knowledge. It didn’t make any sense; she could remember nearly everything about her friendships with Bolin and Mako, except for more recent events, but it seemed that there was some sort of fog over anything that had to do with Asami.

The click of heels hitting the deck behind her indicated she was no longer alone. The Avatar waited for the steps to reach her but they stopped just behind her.

“Korra, is everything alright?”

It seemed fate had decided to intervene on Korra’s behalf and brought Asami to her. She turned so she was facing the other woman and leaned back against the railing. Emerald eyes gazed at her with more concern than the Avatar was expecting and compelled her to tell the truth, albeit haltingly. 

“I don’t...I-I can’t...Spirits, why can’t I say what I want to say, why can’t I  _ remember?” _ Korra took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she organized her thoughts. Asami waited patiently, the worry that had been contained in those green eyes had spread to the rest of the engineer’s features. 

“Are we close? Like a-as friends?” 

Asami’s face fell and the Avatar immediately wished she could take back her question. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. It’s just that I can clearly remember my friendships and relationships with everyone else. I remember the day I came over to your house and how we worked together to take down Amon. But anything after that...I try and I can’t see it clearly.”

The engineer’s resolve had returned during Korra’s explanation and a determination now replaced what used to be worry. 

“Hey,” Asami said as she reached forward but quickly drew her hand back, thinking better of it,”we’ll get through this together, just like we have gotten through everything else. What’s your last clear memory of us spending time together?”

Korra hummed in thought as memories flashed through her mind; Asami comforting her on the bench on the airship after Amon, Asami being on the cliff, Asami picking her up when she returned after her short break, and then Asami… The Avatar tried to push herself but as soon as she winced Asami stopped her with a gentle squeeze of her hand. 

“When you picked me up when I got back from the south. That’s the last clear memory I have; otherwise, I know you were there but I don’t remember specifics.”

If Asami was upset by the length of the lapse, she didn’t show it but Korra still felt bad. 

“I’m sorry, Asami. I really want to remember; I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.”

The engineer pursed her lips and seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before responding. 

“You don’t need to apologize, this isn’t your fault; if anything, I should have insisted on going with you when you left for the Fire Nation.” The Avatar opened her mouth to counter but Asami held up a hand and continued, “To answer your original question, I would call us close friends. Well...you are  _ my _ closest friend...my best friend.”

The slight tinge of sadness that colored Asami’s voice wasn’t missed by Korra and the Avatar quickly wrapped the other woman in a hug. She might not remember much but she knew that the engineer needed all the hugs she could give. Korra pulled away after a moment and blue eyes met green. 

“I would love to hear about everything I’m forgetting, if you’d be willing to fill me in.”

Asami chuckled, “I can only give you my perspective but I’ll do my best.”

* * *

_ Trust. _

The emotion that Asami had been grappling with for the better part of a year was emblazoned on her arm in bold black letters. Whoever her soulmate is must have been feeling a great deal of it. The engineer was also about to have to rely heavily on it herself and the logical part of her brain was fine with it but her emotions were a bit scattered. 

Her hastily crafted plan, inspired by Bumi of all people, had been immediately accepted by Korra and the others. Asami, Mako and Bolin would fly ahead on the plane from the  _ Zhu Li _ and try to create a hole and distraction big enough for everyone else to get through and into the Spirit World so Korra could close the portals before Harmonic Convergence. Still, Asami had to admit she was a little satisfied by the word because it matched what she was feeling exactly and being insync with her soulmate, even if she didn’t know who it was brought her some comfort. 

The engineer knew that those around her would do what she asked; would and could perform feats that would keep her safe as she hurled herself through the air defenseless. She felt a little bad knowing that this was undoubtedly a suicide mission; based on the number of mecha suits the Northern Water Tribe had invested in before this Civil War, they were going to be met with a hefty resistence. Asami couldn’t help but wonder how her soulmate would feel when the words inevitably disappeared from their arm.

She shook the thought from her mind and refocused on the task at hand. Bolin was busy gathering training disks from the raised platform in the center of the compound and the engineer was improvising a way to attach explosives to them in case they needed to literally break through a barrier. Asami had just finished up the last of them when a hand fell on her shoulder.

* * *

Korra was just about to climb onto Oogi when a nagging thought caused her to change course. She weaved through the flurry of activity in the compound until she found the source of her sudden worry. The engineer was hard at work, fingers moving with a lightning fast dexterity fashioning training disks into bendable explosives for Bolin. The Avatar waited until Asami was finished before pulling her into a hug. 

She didn’t know why, but suddenly Asami’s safety was of the utmost importance to her. It could have been because of their long talk the night before but the knowing look Katara sent Korra’s way as the older woman headed to the healing hut told her it went beyond that. To what extent, the Avatar couldn’t remember but she hoped she would one day. 

“Stay safe,” she whispered in the engineer’s ear and pulled back. Her hands slid down the taller woman’s arms and settled on her forearms. 

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” Asami asked with a slight gleam in her eye. “You’re the one who might have to fight the spirit of darkness.”

Korra huffed out a sigh and frowned and gave Asami’s arms a gentle squeeze. The engineer nodded in understanding. They would do their best and hope it was good enough. With that, the Avatar let go of the other woman and returned to Oogi to ensure everything was in order and to wait for Asami and the brothers to fly ahead. 

* * *

Asami had Oogi flying as fast as she could with one hand on the reins and the other patting his head, begging him to go faster. Tonraq hadn’t looked good when she had been unceremoniously thrown into the tent at the portal and, if the whimpers from Naga and Pabu were any indication, it seemed like he was fading fast. It had taken both Bolin and Mako to get Korra’s father onto Oogi and she had no idea how she was going to get him down and into the healing hut but she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he was okay. 

An explosion of a sound akin to thunder suddenly filled Asami’s senses and she whipped her head around to see a wave of purple energy quickly gaining on them. There was nothing she could do except hope against hope that Oogi would be able to withstand whatever force accompanied the light.

“Naga,” Asami yelled to be heard over the roar of the approaching wave, “Protect Tonraq!” 

The engineer watched to make sure the polar bear dog understood before tucking herself close to Oogi. She was surprised when, for all the noise and the ominous appearance, the wave felt similar to a strong breeze. But as soon as the wave passed, she was plunged into darkness; the faint glow of the distant portal behind her and the soft, almost imperceptible light of the compound ahead of her, her only guide as to what direction to fly in. 

She landed as close to the healing hut as she could get and immediately called out for Senna and Katara as she climbed into the saddle to reach Tonraq.

* * *

Pain. That’s all there was. A pain so sharp and deep that it immediately sucked every ounce of energy from her body. She tried to reach for Raava but her arms couldn’t hold up her body or move fast enough. Then the pain turned inward. One by one, each connection was severed; 10000 years worth of knowledge was obliterated until there was nothing left. Until she was no one. Until she was alone.

* * *

A brilliant streak of purple energy passed overhead but Asami didn’t have time to think about what it could mean. She could only focus on trying to support the deadweight that was Tonraq as she and Senna practically dragged him into the hut and to the nearest pool of water. It was a few minutes later, as she and Senna looked on as Katara worked, when a blue beam flew overhead in the same fashion. 

The engineer felt it in her heart.  _ Korra. _ Where she was off to or how she had done it she couldn’t say. The look on Senna’s face told Asami that the older woman knew too. They didn’t even have to ask before Katara started to speak. 

“Energybending,” the healer stated as she continued to work. “I’ve only seen it one other time, when Aang fought Ozai. He got it from a Lion Turtle - it’s what Korra used to restore the bending Amon took away.”

Asami’s eyes stayed glued to the sky through the small window and she took Senna’s hand in her own. The only thing they could do was wait and trust that Korra would streak back across the sky. Time seemed to stand still and a hush had fallen over the compound. A light splashing sound pulled Asami’s gaze from the window and to the pool containing Jinora. The young airbender’s spirit had finally returned to her body. 

All of them sighed with relief but there was still the worry of Korra and everyone els who had stayed at the portal. 

“What about Korra and the others?” Asami asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

“Don’t worry, they’re alright. Korra saved the world.”

Asami couldn’t help but smile.  _ Of course she did. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna have to rewatch S3 so please be patient!


End file.
